Montezuma Castle: Bark Rangers and Cliffside Castles

After descending 2000 feet from the rim of the Grand Canyon—where the air had been fresh and cool enough to remind us it is early spring—we found ourselves back in a warmer part of Arizona. Twenty degrees hotter and buzzing with desert sun, we rolled into Montezuma Castle National Monument, refilled water bottles and bought Poky a brand-new Bark Ranger trucker hat.

He was not amused.

But the kids? They were ecstatic. They had just enough road trip wiggles to burn and just enough imagination left to wonder who might live in the “castle.” Specifically, they were hoping for a queen.

Alas, there was no queen. Not even a drawbridge.

Still, the cliffside dwellings—tucked like honeycomb into a towering limestone wall—were impressive. Built by the Sinagua people, who had lived in the area long before and long after the castle's construction, the site was home to generations over a 700-year span. By the time Europeans arrived in the Americas, the homes had already been abandoned—a testament to the civilization that thrived long before anyone sailed from Spain.

Of course, the name Montezuma is wildly misleading. It has nothing to do with Montezuma, and the Aztecs never made it this far north. The name was slapped on by veterans of the Mexican-American War who passed through the area and, well, guessed wrong.

The loop to view the ruins was blissfully short—a welcome change after long walks at the Grand Canyon. Since visitors can’t go into or near the dwellings, Poky was welcome to join. He received just as much attention from visitors to the ruins thanks to his ranger hat, which was slightly askew and entirely undignified.

The kids earned a Junior Ranger badge, snapped a few pics with Poky and his reluctant smile, and gave the day two enthusiastic thumbs-up. Mostly because it ended with tacos in Sedona.

Sometimes history is best served with a side of guacamole.