Arizona: Monuments, Mountains, and Marriages

Dates: Sept 15-17, 2023

Locations: Montezuma Castle, Agua Fria, and Tuzigoot Nat'l Monuments, Humphreys Peak, Lowell Observatory, Coconino Nat'l Forest

When wedding season meets hiking season

Ben and Yisha getting married in Flagstaff was an exciting invitation to receive- the first wedding I've been to, two great friends, and an opportunity to enjoy the cool fall air of Northern Arizona along the way. Monica and I made the journey from Houston and teamed up with one of Yisha's college roomates Rachel to make the trip.

Day 1: Agua Fria and Montezuma Castle

After landing in Phoenix, we found Rachel, got the rental car, and were off. I directed us towards Agua Fria, 40 miles north of Phoenix, not knowing much about it. It turns out it's a rare National Monument that is administered by the Bureau of Land Management and not the National Park Service. That also means there's not much infrastructure there. After pulling into a dusty parking lot, we found a short trail down to the Agua Fria river between the two buttes in the monument and set off. The hike was hot but some cottonwoods in the river valley provided shade.

Heading off on a sunny hike into the monument.

The only signage around

At the bottom of the canyon, we found petroglyphs all around if you look carefully enough. Scratched into the rock, sometimes high above the ground away from the trail, there were animals, stick people, bows and arrows, and lots of other symbols. The vegetation at the river was surprisingly lush for the harsh desert above, and the river was running high and chocolate brown with silt.

Above: intricate petroglyph
Below: chocolate milk or agua fria?

A slab full of ancient petroglyphs, 30 feet off the ground.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

A half hour drive cooled us down and got us to our next Monument- Montezuma Castle.

One of the 4 original National Monuments established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906, Montezuma Castle features cliffside dwellings a lot like Colorado's famous Mesa Verde. The main dwelling is a 20-room complex carved and built into the cliff face, accessible (to the inhabitants) only by climb. The peak use of the area was the Sinagua people from 1100-1400 AD, but the 900-year old structures are amazingly preserved! The monument also protects Montezuma Well, a giant limestone sinkhole with rare desert water. The main attraction of the cliff dwellings is just a short loop hike that lets you admire them from below, which we happily did.

The cliffside dwelling, like a mini Mesa Verde.

Above: Cactused cliffs.

Below: brick details in the castle.

Looking up into the alcove.

We rounded out the day by getting to Flagstaff, getting some great Thai food, and hitting the airbnb for rest with the wedding tomorrow.

Day 2: Wilderness to Wedding

Humphreys Peak, 12,633'

...Of course, just because there's a wedding in the evening doesn't mean you can't make the most of your morning! Monica and I got up before sunrise and drove up to the trailhead for Humphreys Peak, the highest mountain in Arizona. While it was too early in the year for fall colors in the aspens that decorate the lower slopes, it was still a perfect weather day for a long hike.

From the trailhead at 9,300', we had a 5-mile hike with about 3,333' of elevation gain to make the summit. After a dim but comfortable walk through the woods at the base, we were out onto the open slopes, where it got much rockier. We tried (with very low effort) to see if we could find the B-24 wreckage from a 1944 plane crash that still exists not far from the trail, but had no luck.

Above: the summit, just beyond the cloud shadow

Below: the only wildlife we saw.

Aspen, fir, and spruce in a lower valley.

The last few miles became a bit of a rockfield, with people finding all kinds of routes. There was also early season ice and snow nestled away in some of the shaded spots, which was fun to see.

Red, yellow, brown, and black rocks hint at volcanic past.

The trail markers for the last mile or two of rockfield.

After knocking out our 5 miles and 3333 feet, we reached the summit with clear views all around. Looking north, we could see a field of extinct volcano cinder cones, and further behind the pink depression with a telltale cliff on the other side- the Grand Canyon! It was a bit windy and chilly up there, maybe 40 degrees, and we ate lunch before turning around to hustle down.

Final approach to the summit.

The summit marker!

Monica on the rocks.

Foreground: ancient volcano cinder cones. Background: the Grand Canyon.

A perfect day on the runs of the Arizona Snow Bowl.

And as a reward on the way back, we stopped by a gas station that carried "Pie Guy's Pies," a local piemaker who I'd heard much acclaim about. His bisbeeberry pie was worth every penny as a post-hike treat. Then it was time to dress up and go to the whole reason we were here- the wedding!

Lowell Observatory - Ben and Yisha's Wedding

Ben and Yisha's wedding was held at the historic Lowell Observatory, above Flagstaff. Ben's dad was the observatory director, and honestly I couldn't think of a cooler venue. They had a lovely ceremony and then the reception, and I took dancing breaks to wander the nearby telescopes as night fell. There was even an active open-to-the-public astronomy session going on in the nearby pavilion.

My wedding date.

Newton stays dressed to the nines.

Plaques!!

The main event!

The Clark Refractor.

History included the Clark Refractor telescope, used by Lowell in the study of the surface of Mars, and the Pluto Discovery Telescope, used by Clyde Tombaugh when he discovered Pluto in 1930 right at that spot. It was fascinating to see the huge telescopes and the collections of artifacts housed with each, like the negatives that revealed Pluto's existence, the telegram that gave the (dwarf) planet its name, and more.

Monica using a solar telescope to check out the sun.

The Clark Refractor (Mars telescope) in its wooden housing.

This telegram was the winner in the call for names.

The Pluto Discovery telescope.

As darkness fell, dancing continued under the tent but more telescopes also came out. One astronomer set up in the field right next to the venue, and I hung out with him for probably an hour as we pointed around to various star clusters and nebulae. The view was incredible from up there- almost like it was picked for an observatory for a reason.

Day 3: Tuzigoot

Driving back from Flagstaff to Phoenix is a fun romp past the sandstone cliffs of Sedona before you get into the hot and flat. We made a pit stop at one more National Monument on the way to make it a hat trick.

Tuzigoot National Monument preserves a large pueblo ruin, with over 100 rooms! It was built by the Sinagua 900 years ago and we had fun wandering the short trail around the structures (or what's left of them) and in the larger central rooms that were reconstructed. It was also really hot out, so we went through the cool modern pueblo museum before heading out and to the airport.