According to the National Park Service, ancestors of the Wupatki area lived as stewards of the land and developed self-sustaining cultural and economic systems, despite the difficulties of the terrain. 

Every Saturday until March, guided backcountry discovery hikes that explore this culture are offered at Wupatki National Monument, just east of Sunset Crater. The discovery hikes include set stops to discuss the petroglyphs and ruins, as well as ancestral cultural life of the surrounding environment.

Participants join a park ranger to hike moderate, off-trail terrain to discover the archeological sites, rock art, geology, flora and fauna of historically rich southwestern cultures. 

There are four hikes total, which change weekly. The Antelope House Trail, Kaibab House Trail and East Mesa Trail center on Hopi culture, while the Diné Hike is focused on Navajo society. Combined, the four hikes offer a mosaic of ancestral southwestern cultures.

Wupatki National Monument park guide Brina Mocsny shows hikers an original home of the Natives during the Diné Discovery Hike on Saturday. The park provides four different hikes of the monument that start at 9 a.m. each Saturday. - Bryan Kinkade/ The Lumberjack

Joanna Bleil, visitor use assistant at the Wupatki Visitor Center, encourages people to sign up for the hikes, because the backcountry of Wupatki Monument is only publicly accessible through these guided ranger hikes.

“There is a fair amount of interpretation involved on the hikes,” Bleil said. “Discussion about culture almost always occurs. It’s an opportunity most people don’t normally get.”

Ted White, a Wupatki Monument park guide, regularly leads the weekly hikes.

All hikes are limited to 10  users in the winter season, but the discovery hikes have been receiving relatively low numbers of participants. However, the Wupatki terrain is set at 4,000 ft., as opposed to Flagstaffís 7,000 ft., and is therefore much warmer.

“We want to remind people that the park is 10 degrees warmer than Flagstaff,” White said. 

Ray Stoeser, a junior English major, came to Flagstaff because of his love of the outdoors. He said he was interested in the Wupatki hikes because they offer him a good opportunity to explore the Northern Arizona landscape outside of the bitter cold of Flagstaff.

“One of the reasons I came to NAU was to explore a whole new type of area,” Stoeser said. “And as it got colder, I realized I blew it. All the hiking I wanted to do, I’d have to wait until next semester. But the fact that it’s warmer, it’s outside and gives me the opportunity to explore the history of the area really peaks my interest.”

While the hikes are free, there is a $5 park entrance fee per adult (16 and older). The pass is good for seven days and can be used for Sunset Crater Volcano as well.

The Wupatki Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hikes leave the visitor center at 9 a.m. and last for three hours. The hikes are not recommended for children under the age of 10. Call 679-2365 to make a reservation.