One of my favorite things about traveling within Arizona is the rich Native American history and the many ruins preserved throughout the state. The American Southwest was a crossroads for Native cultures in both North America and South America, so there are Native American ruins of many different styles. There are so many Indian ruins in Arizona, that it can be hard to decide which ones to visit. Some are tucked away in remote canyons accessible only to Natives and their guests, while others are in the middle of cities. Rest assured, they do not all look the same, nor do they have the same history, so here is the lowdown on these Arizona landmarks. (These are just the Indian ruins in Arizona that I have personally visited that are easily accessible.)

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Types of Ruins in Arizona

There are a few types of Indian ruins in Arizona that you can see. Of course, I’m not an archeologist (if only I could go back and change my major one more time!) but after visiting so many of these sites and reading quite a bit, I have a basic layman understanding of the types of ruins you can see in Arizona.

• Cliff Dwellings – this one is fairly obvious, they are homes and communities built into the sides of cliffs, usually under an overhanging wall that provides shade and weather protection. Preserved cliff dwellings are my favorite ruins to visit; you can almost picture cliff dwellers climbing up to their homes at the end of the day.
• Pueblos – The other common type of Indian ruin in Arizona is the pueblo, which is usually built out in the open and can consist of several stories, like the great house at Casa Grande Ruins.
• Pit Houses – There are a few pit houses around as well, although I imagine these would not be as well preserved, seeing as they were typically dug out of the earth.

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Canyon de Chelly National Monument

When people ask me what is my favorite place in Arizona, Canyon de Chelly National Monument is always the first thing that comes to mind. This is a sacred site to many Navajo, and there are still Navajo families who live and farm in the canyon. This site is dually managed by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation, and you can only enter the canyon by booking tours with a Navajo guide. Booking a Canyon de Chelly tour with a guide is easy, and highly recommended. Otherwise, you are limited to driving the rim roads. Although the park’s scenic viewpoints offer spectacular views, you will miss out on the history and the close-up views of White House ruins if you don’t book a tour. I booked my tour directly through Thunderbird Lodge, where I also spent the night. (Bonus: Thunderbird Lodge is dog-friendly!)

See Canyon de Chelly and other Arizona landmarks on a Northern Arizona road trip!

• Location: Chinle – browse Chinle Hotels
• Admission: Free, donations accepted at Welcome Center
• Inhabited: 1300s to the present
• Inhabitants: Ancient Puebloans, Hopi, Navajo
• Dogs: Allowed in the campground and paved areas, not on trails or in the canyon

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Located on the highway between Phoenix and Tucson, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is an impressive “Great House” ruin built by ancient Sonoran desert people 600 years ago. A guided tour (available hourly from late November to mid-April) is the best way to learn about the site and the people who built it. It’s a relatively small monument, making this a great place to stretch your legs between Phoenix and Tucson or an easy day trip from either city.

• Location: Coolidge – browse Casa Grande hotels
• Admission: $10 per person or National Parks Pass
• Inhabited: 1300s-1400s
• Inhabitants: Ancient Sonoran Desert People
• Dogs: Allowed in all outdoor areas, not in the visitor center

Montezuma Castle National Monument

One of the few dog-friendly ruins in Arizona, Montezuma Castle is really impressive. It’s right off the I-17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix, so it’s another fun little side trip to stretch your legs. The castle is a five-story, 20-room dwelling that is built into the rock wall 100 feet above the valley floor. It was built and occupied by the Sinagua people between 1100 and 1300, although the name (Montezuma) was an early (and incorrect) assumption that it was an Anasazi dwelling. The site includes a small Visitor Center and a short loop trail that takes you by the castle.

• Location: Camp Verde – browse Camp Verde hotels
• Admission: $15 per person, includes Tuzigoot, or National Parks Pass
• Inhabited: 1100 – 1425
• Inhabitants: Sinagua
• Dogs: Allowed in all outdoor areas, not in the visitor center. Get your BARK Ranger badge here!

S’edav Va’aki Museum (formerly Pueblo Grande)

What I found most interesting about this ruin site is the location. It’s nearly in the approach path of Sky Harbor Airport, so as you view ancient ruins, big jets are flying overhead. A pretty surreal experience, if you ask me. S’edav Va’aki Museum is a pre-Columbian site with ruins and irrigation canals. The museum and film give a really good overview of just how innovative the irrigation techniques were. Some of the canals from this period are still used today around the Phoenix area. If you don’t have a lot of time and want to see Indian ruins near Phoenix, S’edav Va’aki Museum is easy to add to your Phoenix itinerary, even if you only have an hour to spare.

• Location: Phoenix – browse Phoenix hotels
• Admission: $6 per person
• Inhabited: 500 – 1450
• Inhabitants: Hohokam
• Dogs: Not allowed

When I initially visited this museum, it was still called Pueblo Grande. It has since been renamed and just reopened in October 2024, after a remodel and refresh of the facilities.

Want to include some museums as you learn about Arizona’s history? My list of favorite Phoenix museums includes the Heard Museum of American Indian Art.

Tonto National Monument

Tonto National Monument is a series of cliff dwellings that overlooks Roosevelt Lake above Phoenix. The combination of saguaro cactus and lake views makes this one of the most scenic ruins in Arizona. These Arizona cliff dwellings were built above the Salt River (Roosevelt Lake is a man-made lake) around 1300 and residents prospered for about 50-150 years until the water table dropped and they were forced to move on. The Lower Cliff Dwelling trail is only one-mile round-trip, but quite steep. The Upper Cliff Dwelling trail is three miles round-trip, but only accessible on a guided tour in the winter months.

• Location: Roosevelt – browse Roosevelt hotels
• Admission: $10 per person, or National Parks Pass
• Inhabited: 1300
• Inhabitants: Salado
• Dogs: Allowed on the Lower Cliff Dwelling Trail

Tuzigoot National Monument

Tuzigoot National Monument is another Sinagua structure that has been carefully restored and preserved. Unlike Montezuma, which is a cliff dwelling, the structures at Tuzigoot represent a pueblo. Situated on a small hill overlooking the beautiful Verde Valley, Tuzigoot once had 87 ground-floor rooms with additional rooms on higher levels. It’s estimated that the population peaked around the year 1300 with 6000 to 8000 residents. An interpretive trail leads you around the ruins, as you take in the expansive views and learn about the Sinagua culture.

• Location: Cottonwood – browse Cottonwood hotels
• Admission: $15 per person, includes Montezuma, or National Parks Pass
• Inhabited: 1000-1400
• Inhabitants: Sinagua
• Dogs: Allowed in all outdoor areas, not in the visitor center

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Just outside Flagstaff is Walnut Canyon National Monument. Over 800 years ago, the Sinagua people built cliff dwellings here, which they only inhabited for about 100 years before moving on to a new location. They lived, farmed, and hunted here, before eventually assimilating into the Hopi culture nearby. In the 1880s, the railroad facilitated souvenir hunters, who removed many of the items remaining in the cliff dwellings and even dynamited some of the walls in the dwellings. In 1915, Walnut Canyon became a National Monument, to prevent further destruction of the area. There is a small visitor center, with a good film about the history, and a 1-mile (round trip) Island Trail to view the cliff dwellings.

• Location: 10 minutes east of Flagstaff – browse Flagstaff hotels
• Admission: $15 per person or National Parks Pass
• Inhabited: 600 – 1400
• Inhabitants: Sinagua
• Dogs: Allowed on the Rim Trail only

Wupatki National Monument

Another place to see Indian ruins near Flagstaff is Wupatki National Monument. I first visited Wupatki on our 2008 Southwest road trip and visited again this year. It’s a fairly small park and is usually combined with a visit to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. The Wupatki pueblos were built and occupied during the 1100s, just as the nearby volcano that formed Sunset Crater was quieting down. Much like Walnut Canyon, these ruins were only occupied for a short time (~100 years) before the residents moved on. There are three main areas at Wupatki National Monument; each a short stroll from the parking lot. Wukoki Pueblo, Wupatki Pueblo & Visitor Center, and Lomaki/Nalakihu/Citadel Pueblos.

• Location: 35 minutes north of Flagstaff – browse Flagstaff hotels
• Admission: $25 per vehicle or National Parks Pass
• Inhabited: 1100 -1250
• Inhabitants: Kayenta Ancestral Puebloan
• Dogs: Not allowed

Other Native Indian Ruins in Arizona

Of course, there are many ancient cliff dwellings hidden far from tourists in places like the Grand Canyon. There are some more Native Indian ruins in Arizona that I haven't visited yet, but I will before the year is out.

• Mesa Grande Cultural Park (located in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa)
• Navajo National Monument
• Agua Fria National Monument
• You can also see some cliff dwellings along the Verde Canyon Railroad tour!

Other Southwest Ruins Sites

Of course, Arizona is not the only southwest state to house ruins. I've enjoyed finding ruins and petroglyphs in Utah, and Colorado has them too; most notably; Mesa Grande is one of Colorado's National Parks. New Mexico has tons of famous ruins, including Chaco Canyon and Acoma Pueblo. I'm dying to spend some time in New Mexico one of these days! To learn more about the ruins in Arizona and the greater Colorado Plateau, I highly recommend the book House of Rain, by Craig Childs.

For a unique cultural experience in Arizona, attending a Saguaro fruit harvest in the summer is super cool!