Walnut Canyon

https://www.nps.gov/waca/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut_Canyon_National_Monument Walnut Canyon National Monument is a United States National Monument located about 10 mi southeast of downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, near Interstate 40. The canyon rim elevation is 6,690 ft; the canyon's floor is 350 ft lower. Come gaze across curved canyon walls. Among the remarkable geological formations of the canyon itself, the former homes of ancient inhabitants are easily evident. Along the trails you can imagine life within Walnut Canyon, while visiting actual pueblos and walking in the steps of those who came before. Walnut Canyon National Monument is located approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) east of Flagstaff. From Interstate 40, take Exit 204, and turn south. The Walnut Canyon Visitor Center is located at the end of this 3-mile (5 km) road. Walnut Canyon Visitor Center The visitor center features architecture from both the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Mission 66 era. The visitor center is the starting point for all visits to Walnut Canyon and is staffed daily by park rangers. Children may pick up Junior Ranger activities here. Walnut Canyon National Monument is located approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) east of Flagstaff. From Interstate 40, take Exit 204, and turn south. The Walnut Canyon Visitor Center is located at the end of this 3-mile (5 km) road. Cliff Dwellings sunlight illuminates stone walls in a canyon cliff dwelling Walnut Canyon National Monument protects a series of ancient cliff dwellings built between 1125 and 1250 CE. Walnut Canyon Snow warm sunlight illuminates a cliff dwelling wall beside a snowy trail The 0.9-mile (1.4 km) Island Trail leads visitors down 240 stairs to explore 25 cliff dwelling rooms. Walnut Canyon Rim Overlook a circular overlook at the edge of the canyon rim The 0.7-mile (1.1 km) Rim Trail reveals expansive views of Walnut Canyon and its cliff dwellings. Walnut Canyon Raven a common raven landing on a barren juniper branch At the rim of Walnut Canyon, visitors stand at eye level with soaring ravens, eagles, and other birds A Visitor at Walnut Canyon a visitor looks out over Walnut Canyon from the trail More than 125,000 people visit Walnut Canyon each year. Inventory and Monitoring Data Help Flagstaff Area National Monuments Meet Resource Management Challenges From inventory data, to long-term monitoring data sets, to special projects, Southern Colorado Plateau Network data on vegetation communities, wildlife, and hydrology has informed much of the work being done in the network’s 19 parks. Cinder cone with crater, surrounded by pine trees. The Colorado Plateau The Colorado Plateau is centered on the four corners area of the Southwest, and includes much of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Hazy Fajada Butte, Chaco Culture National Monument Southern Colorado Plateau Exotic Plant Inventory Exotic plants take a heavy toll on biodiversity around the world. In the United States, exotic plant species invade tens of thousands of hectares every year, outcompeting native species and causing many to become threatened or endangered. Fire, flood, and other natural disturbance regimes can also be altered by exotic plants, broadly affecting land management. Common salsify, an exotic plant Wildland Fire in Douglas Fir: Western United States Douglas fir is widely distributed throughout the western United States, as well as southern British Columbia and northern Mexico. Douglas fir is able to survive without fire, its abundantly-produced seeds are lightweight and winged, allowing the wind to carry them to new locations where seedlings can be established. Close-up of Douglas fir bark and needles. Walnut Canyon NM Headquarters Area Historic District Cultural Landscape The Walnut Canyon Headquarters Area Historic District is part of Walnut Canyon National Monument, located southeast of Flagstaff in Coconino County, Arizona. The layering of features makes the Walnut Canyon Headquarters Area a significant example of projects completed during early conservation efforts in the United States—most notably the “New Deal” era of the 1930s‑1940s and the “Mission 66” era of the 1950s‑1960s. Walnut Canyon NM Headquarters Area Historic District (NPS) Wildland Fire in Ponderosa Pine: Western United States This forest community generally exists in areas with annual rainfall of 25 inches or less. Extensive pure stands of this forest type are found in the southwestern U.S., central Washington and Oregon, southern Idaho and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Recently burned ponderosa pine forest. Vegetation Characterization and Mapping on the Southern Colorado Plateau Vegetation mapping is a tool used by botanists, ecologists, and land managers to better understand the abundance, diversity, and distribution of different vegetation types across a landscape. Vegetation plots used for the classification and mapping of El Malpais NM Climate Change on the Southern Colorado Plateau The combination of high. elevation and a semi-arid climate makes the Colorado Plateau particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate models predict that over the next 100 years, the Southwest will become warmer and even more arid, with more extreme droughts than the region has experienced in the recent past. One result of climate change may be more, larger floods, like this flash flood in Glen Canyon NRA Southern Colorado Plateau Mammal Inventories Mammal inventories help to close the gap in our knowledge and understanding of some taxonomic groups on the Colorado Plateau. Coyote (Canis latrans) Celebrating soils across the National Park System First in a series of three "In Focus" articles that share insights into the near-universal and far-reaching effects of soils on the ecology, management, and enjoyment of our national parks. Fossil soils at Cabrillo National Monument reveal marine deposits NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports. [Site Under Development] cliff dwelling Series: Geologic Time Periods in the Paleozoic Era During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era. fossil corals in a rock matrix Series: National Park Service Geodiversity Atlas The servicewide Geodiversity Atlas provides information on <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geoheritage-conservation.htm">geoheritage</a> and <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geodiversity.htm">geodiversity</a> resources and values all across the National Park System to support science-based management and education. The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1088/index.htm">NPS Geologic Resources Division</a> and many parks work with National and International <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/park-geology.htm">geoconservation</a> communities to ensure that NPS abiotic resources are managed using the highest standards and best practices available. park scene mountains Series: Defining the Southwest The Southwest has a special place in the American imagination – one filled with canyon lands, cacti, roadrunners, perpetual desert heat, a glaring sun, and the unfolding of history in places like Tombstone and Santa Fe. In the American mind, the Southwest is a place without boundaries – a land with its own style and its own pace – a land that ultimately defies a single definition. Maize agriculture is one component of a general cultural definition of the Southwest. Permian Period—298.9 to 251.9 MYA The massive cliffs of El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park represent a Permian-age reef along the supercontinent Pangaea. The uppermost rocks of Grand Canyon National Park are also Permian. flat-top mountain Paleozoic Era During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era. fossil corals in a rock matrix Substitute Rangers As the 1940s dawned, the United States was still dealing with the economic woes of the Great Depression and trying not to get drawn in WWII. Even as it continued to manage New Deal Program work in national and state parks, the NPS remained understaffed as a government bureau. The emergency relief workers and about 15 percent of NPS staff enlisted or were drafted during the first couple of years of WWII. Winifred Tada, 1940. (Courtesy of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin) Find Your Park on Route 66 Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today! A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem. Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Water Resources on the Colorado Plateau Describes the origin, uses, threats to, and conservation of water on the Colorado Plateau. Dark green body of water winding through red rock formations with brilliant sun overhead. Studying the Past and Predicting the Future Using Rat Nests In the western United States, packrat middens are one of the best tools for reconstructing recent environments and climates. These accumulations of plant fragments, small vertebrate remains, rodent droppings, and other fossils can be preserved for more than 50,000 years. Packrat middens have been found in at least 41 National Park Service units. Photo of a wood rat. Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 14, No. 2, Fall 2022 All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/newsletters.htm">Park Paleontology news</a> provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. <ul><li>Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/common/utilities/sendmail/sendemail.cfm?o=5D8CD5B898DDBB8387BA1DBBFD02A8AE4FBD489F4FF88B9049&r=/subjects/geoscientistsinparks/photo-galleries.htm">newsletter editor</a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/">Fossils & Paleontology</a> </li><li>Celebrate <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/">National Fossil Day</a> with events across the nation</li></ul> Photo of a person sitting while using a laboratory microscope. Series: Geologic Time—Major Divisions and NPS Fossils The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian. photo of desert landscape with a petrified wood log on the surface Guide to the Henry G. Peabody Photograph Collection Finding aid for the Henry G. Peabody Collection 50 Nifty Finds #17: Common Threads Each National Park Service (NPS) employee has a unique story. We can't tell them all, but sometimes there's a personal account—like that of Sallie Pierce Brewer Van Valkenburg Harris—that speaks to common experiences. Although her NPS connections ran from 1933 to 1971, many of her joys, challenges, and frustrations can still be recognized in the NPS today. Sallie's story resonates regardless of era, gender, or position. How will it speak to you? Sallie Brewer in her NPS uniform standing at a gate Making an Impact: Long-Term Monitoring of Natural Resources at Intermountain Region National Parks, 2021 Across the Intermountain Region, Inventory & Monitoring Division ecologists are helping to track the effects of climate change, provide baseline information for resource management, evaluate new technologies, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. This article highlights accomplishments achieved during fiscal year 2021. A man looks through binoculars at sunrise. The Plateau Postcard: Spring-Summer 2023 The Plateau Postcard is the official newsletter of the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network. In this issue, we say hello to many new faces within the network and head to the field with some of this year's spectacular monitoring crews. Pile of postcards with images of various southwest national parks on them. A Changing Bimodal Climate Zone Means Changing Vegetation in Western National Parks When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change. Dark storm clouds and rainbow over mountains and saguaros.

National Park Service U. S. Department of the Interior Flagstaff Area National Monuments Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volcano Ancient Times Experience the Cultural Legacy and Natural Environment of Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments View of the San Francisco Peaks from Wukoki Pueblo, Wupatki NPS Photo Follow the rock ledges and cliff dwellings down into Walnut Canyon, gaze across the grasslands and puebloan structures at Wupatki, and witness the aftermath of the eruption that formed Sunset Crater Volcano. Cultural Legacy People have found ways to live here for thousands of years, discovering new methods of building homes, growing food, and trading for goods. The eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano changed the lives of everyone who witnessed the event and influenced settlement at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki. Welcome! The scent of blooming cliffrose greets you during the climb out of Walnut Canyon on the Island Trail. Your eyes blink against the glittering contrast of snow blanketing Sunset Crater Volcano’s black basalt flows. At Wupatki, a raven’s cackling calls and wing beats break the silence surrounding red sandstone pueblos. Named after the walnut trees found within, Walnut Canyon is better known for the cliff dwellings built into ledges along the canyon walls. Builders selected spots warmed by the low winter sun, protected from snow and rain, and shaded on summer days. With water in Walnut Creek, land for farming on the canyon rim, native plants to collect, and animals to hunt, the ancestral Puebloan people had everything they needed. Welcome to Flagstaff Area National Monuments, places that will delight your senses and challenge your mind to consider everything from violent geologic processes to the struggle of finding water in an arid landscape. At Wupatki, builders chose the open grassland and expansive horizons of the Wupatki Basin, constructing homes of stone and mud. Communities were comprised of farmers, cultivating corn, beans, and squash. Wupatki Pueblo had the greatest population. Located at the crossroads of several cultures, it was a regional center for trade. Each of the monuments is unique, but all three share a cultural legacy, including their ownership by all Americans as part of the National Park System. Come and enjoy them. They are yours. This newspaper, the Ancient Times, can help you decide how to create your own experiences at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments during any season of the year. Sunset Crater Volcano is part of the legends, landscape, history, and culture of several American Indian tribes. Life profoundly changed for those present when the volcano erupted. Some left because survival seemed impossible. Others saw the eruption as a signal to migrate. Some chose to stay, building new homes and learning to farm a cinder-covered landscape. We’re waiting for you! Kayci Cook Collins Superintendent Flagstaff Area National Monuments NPS Graphic Natural Environment From sandstone and limestone revealing ancient sand dunes and seas, to rugged lava flows created by violent forces in the earth, the landscapes of all three national monuments have been shaped by weather, water, and time. At Walnut Canyon plant communities overlap, bringing together species usually separated by elevation, creating a rare concentration of biodiversity. The Sinagua people found a wide array of native plants to harvest along every curve of the canyon. Without domestic grazing, the grasslands of Wupatki once again provide habitat for the same plants and animals harvested and hunted by the ancestral Puebloan people who lived under the endless blue skies. Sunset Crater Volcano provides an unparalleled opportunity to study the dynamics of eruption, change, and recovery in an arid climate. The dramatic landscape is also home to a mix of species adapted to life on and around the young volcanic terrain. By visiting Walnut Canyon, Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano and gazing across their visually striking landscapes, you may better understand the lives of those who came before, learning from their ingenuity and achievements. What’s Inside 2-3....General Information 4-5....Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano 6.......Walnut Canyon 7.......Programs 8.......Getting Involved Published August 2016 2 GENERAL INFORMATION Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings, NPS Photo Contact Information Flagstaff Area National Monuments Park Headquarters 6400 N. Hwy 89 Flagstaff, AZ 86004 Phone: (928) 526-1157 Fax: (928) 526-4259 Email: FLAG_Information@nps.gov Walnut Canyon National Monument 3 Walnut Canyon Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/waca (928) 526-3367 Wupatki National Monument 25137 N Wupatki Loop Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/wupa (928) 679-2365 Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument 6082 Sunset Crater Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/sucr (928) 526-0502 Entrance Fees 7-day Passes Walnut Canyon: per person (adults 16+)........$8 Sunset Crater Volcano and Wu