Travel & Tour Pictures & Photos
May 6, 2001
Tuzigoot is an Apache word which was translated to us by a full-blooded Apache Native American woman, (San Carlos by lineage but a member of the Yavapai Apache Nation) and whose native language is Apache and who has lived in Clarkdale nearly all her life, as to mean "water to the knees." Tuzigoot is a remnant of a Sinaguan village built above the Verde Valley before 1400. Tuzigoot National Monument is located about 52 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona, via US Alt. 89A, or about 90 miles north of Phoenix. The Monument is located just north of Clarkdale, Arizona. From Flagstaff you drive 52 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona via U.S. Alternate Highway 89A, or from Phoenix you drive 90 miles north of Phoenix. by Interstate Highway 17, take Exit 287 and travel west on Highway 260 to Cottonwood. In Cottonwood take Main Street north towards Clarkdale. From Clarkdale just follow the signs to Tuzigoot. Tuzigoot includes a large pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures which was built by the Sinagua culture that flourished in the Verde Valley between AD 1100 and 1450. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000. The Sinagua were agriculturalists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles. It is thought that the population here, and the building of additional rooms, was comprised of farmers leaving the drought in outlying areas. Visitors are invited to walk in and around Tuzigoot to try to imagine the daily life of the Sinagua who farmed, hunted and created pottery and artwork in this area hundreds of years ago. The site is currently comprised of 42 acres. The visitor center is a small, old-style museum with many artifacts on display. It is one of the few museums interpreting ancient Sinaguan culture in Arizona. The Ruins trail loops around the pueblo and allows visitors to closely view the structures. Two trails are found at Tuzigoot-The Ruins Loop trail and the Tavasci Marsh Overlook trail. Both trails are a quarter of a mile in length. Adjacent to Tuzigoot is Tavasci Marsh, one of the few freshwater marshes found in Arizona. Tavasci Marsh is managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department as a wildlife sanctuary. The marsh is a critically important habitat for birds and other wildlife. Wildlife found in the marsh include beaver, river otter, muskrat, deer, javalina, various fish and amphibians, and a wide variety of birds. Total Size: 360 acres. Proclaimed Tuzigoot National Monument on July 25, 1939.
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| Tuzigoot From The Valley Below | About 120 Feet Above the Valley |
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| Strong, Unbalanced Walls | Cooking Area & Metates To Grind Corn |
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| Several Rooms, Entered From The Roofs | Local Lizard |
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| Bob Going Up The Stairs | Bob & Audrey On The Tower |
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| "You Can See For Miles Up Here!" | "I Can See The Whole Valley!" |
| To Montezuma Castle |
| To Montezuma Well |
| To Page Springs Fish Hatchery |
| To Salt Mine
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