Room with a view.

November 17, 2014: Tonto National Monument Cliff Dwellings.

(Photo taken Nov. 16, 2014)

Arriving too late in the day, we are unable to take the hike up to the lower cliff dwellings.  A photo from the visitor center down through the shadowed canyon walls of Cholla Canyon frame the Tonto Basin, Theodore Roosevelt Lake and the mountains beyond.  We’ll be back tomorrow for a better look at the monument.

The next morning we take the short drive back to the monument. 

Thanks to Jack’s Senior Parks Pass we have free admission to national parks and monuments.  We're going to hike up to the lower cliff dwellings this morning.  The upper cliff dwellings are on a reservation basis and are a ranger guided tour over the weekend.  We're usually do-it-yourself folks so we opt for a self-guided tour. 

We can see the shallow cave from the observation deck.  It’s a little over a half mile hike up and about 350 feet elevation change.  The trail is paved with an overcoat of skid-resistant material.  No sliding off into prickly cacti.

We begin our trek up the incline and look back across Tonto Basin and the lake.  No shadows impede the view of the mountain across Cholla Canyon this morning.

Saguaros soar above us on the mountainside. 

With only a little ways left to go, the cliff dwelling is in clear view.  Someone standing at the edge of the cliff.

We arrive at the entrance and are greeted by Davis, an intern here at the monument.   

He paints a vivid picture of the Salado culture – the people that inhabited these dwellings for 300 years during the 1200 – 1400s.  How it is believed they lived, worked, and interacted as a bustling society.  The Salado are known for their exquisite and intricate weaving of cotton, and the beautifully decorated Salado polychrome ceramics found in the ruins of the dwellings.    

Sitting 2,000 feet above the valley floor, these folks had a room with a view.

 We head back down the trail and through the forest of saguaros.

We gaze up the mountainside at the home inhabited by those who lived here hundreds of years before our visit, contemplating how they lived and thrived in such an arid environment, and what caused them to leave this region.  It may be a mystery that is never unraveled.   

Davis made this a very fun and educational morning with all his thoughtful insight and input about the Salado culture.  Pamphlets with a few vague facts just aren’t the same as an enthusiastic young person ready to pour out all the knowledge he has gained on the subject at hand.  We really enjoyed our time with him at the dwellings.      

Until next time - y'all be safe now - ya hear!