Near Red Rock State Park, one of Arizona's most underrated state parks, lingering traces of ancient civilizations are carved into the fiery landscape. About an hour-and-a-half drive north of the park is Wupatki National Monument, one of the West's archaeological wonders with towering red rock ruins and vast desert views. The Palatki Heritage Site is another place that offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of an ancient culture and is only 15 miles from Red Rock State Park. At the fascinating
Palatki — which boasts the largest cliff dwellings in Arizona's red rock country — you can see ancient dwellings that the Sinagua people built into the red cliffsides as well as pictographs (painted symbols) they left behind on the rock faces. In fact, Palatki has the biggest pictograph panels in this part of Arizona, too. There's just one catch to visiting this amazing site: You must be on a guided tour booked in advance, with each tour group limited to 14 people.
The tours at Palatki are limited because of the site's small size and the need to minimize human impact. But this intimacy and purity are part of what makes visiting so special — you get to see remarkably preserved cliff dwellings and rock art up close with a guide, who shares insight into the people who created them. The dwellings were built and inhabited by the Sinagua people between A.D. 1150 and 1350, and they comprise multiple rooms and stories. Archaeologists believe the Sinagua strategically built their homes in the cliffs to protect against flooding and to have a vantage point over potential invaders, though we can't know for sure, since they had no written language. They did, however, leave behind artifacts like tools for grinding seeds and also pictographic panels. The pictographs were painted using natural pigments mixed with animal fat rather than etched into the stones as petroglyphs (another form of ancient rock art) were.
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How To Visit Arizona's Palatki Heritage Site
The Palatki Heritage Site is just over a two-hour drive north of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Note: getting to the site means driving on some rough gravel roads, so a high-clearance vehicle would be preferable here. There's a parking lot at the site, but you'll need a Red Rock Pass to park each vehicle, which can be bought onsite for $5. At the parking area, there's a visitor center and bookstore, but make sure to bring your own water, since none is available at the location. There is no entrance fee, but you do have to pay a small fee ($1 as of this writing) to book your timed guided tour ticket online in advance. Another important thing to know is that Palatki may close after rain or snow or when the temperature is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the road for signage regarding closures as you're driving in.
The tour lasts about 75 minutes. It requires a minimal level of fitness and mobility, as it involves climbing up 60 rugged stone steps. After passing through the visitor center, there are three trails that lead separately to the dwellings, a cliff dwelling overlook, and the rock art sites. Head along the right trail to the east alcove, where you can expect to meet your guide. Here, you can tour the inside of the nine-room dwelling and see several artifacts used by the dwelling's residents. Next, go back down towards the visitor center and take the left trail up to the rock art grotto, which is completely covered in pictographs. After your visit to Palatki, drive an hour south to Camp Verde, an Arizona high desert hideaway with more amazing cliffside ruins, which you can see by visiting the Montezuma Castle National Monument.
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