Walnut Canyon National Monument is known for its remarkable rocks and ancient cliff dwellings but it is also a lovely canyon. Here is a quote from the National Park Service website for the National Monument.
Walnut Canyon has a long human history. Artifacts show that Archaic peoples, who traveled throughout the Southwest thousands of years ago, occupied the canyon at times.
Later came the first permanent inhabitants, who flourished in the region from about A.D. 600 until 1400. Archeologists labeled this prehistoric culture Sinagua, from the old Spanish name for the region, Sierra de Sin Agua, or “mountains without water.”
Scattered families farmed the canyon rims for centuries, growing small gardens of corn, squash, and beans. During the 1100s, many moved into limestone alcoves below the canyon rim, where they constructed the cliff dwellings we see today. The Walnut Canyon community thrived for another 150 years before the people moved on.
If you look carefully at the lower right of the photo, you can see part of the paved staircase dropping down into the canyon to the level of the cliff dwellings. Walnut Canyon is about 7000 feet above sea level and the descent to see the cliff dwelling goes down almost 200 feet into the canyon with lots of stair steps.
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