The Apache Death Cave, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater & Wupatki National Monument
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2021
- The Apache Death Cave, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater & Wupatki National Monument
OK. This was quite a trip. And I made it up the morning I went, piecing together a bunch of places I had wanted to visit for a while now. I packed the truck with camping gear, and hit the road.
First up was Two Guns, Arizona. Two Guns is an interesting location. It's filled with abandonded stone buildings and lots and lots of graffiti. But the history is there, if you know where to look. Just outside the abandoned gas station in Two Guns is a rather nondescript stone building. And just outside that building is a hole in the ground. It doesn't look like much, but this hole in the ground has a terrifying history. This is the Apache Death Cave. The Apache Death Cave is exactly what it sounds like. An Apache raiding party used the Apache Death Cave as a hideout. From this hidden encampment, they launched raids on nearby Navajo encampments. The Navajo eventually found the cave and started a fire, blocking the Apache in the cave and ultimately killing them. All 42 of them. I tried not to think about this when I was in the Apache Death Cave. I'll let the video speak for itself on the cave itself.
After the Apache Death Cave, I headed to Walnut Canyon National Monument. Walnut Canyon showcases the most Native American riuns that I have ever seen in one location. The canyon is dotted with these ruins. Walnut Canyon National Monument is a short stop, but definitely worth it.
Next up it was Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. I saw Sunset Crater on the drive in, but messed up and drove past the path leading to Sunset Crater itself. That's fine, because I still got to take a short hike through the lava fields and look at the surrounding volcanic landscape. Parts are like walking on the moon.
If you continue on the main road inside Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, you come across several Pueblos. The first was the Wukoki Pueblo. The Wukoki Pueblo is amazing. It reminded me of the Desert View Watchtower at the Grand Canyon, only the Wukoki Pueblo is an actual ruin and not a modern structure.
Shortly past the Wukoki Pueblo was Wupatki National Monument. Wupatki National Monument is a enormous ancient pueblo. It features a ball court, kiva and even a blow hole. The Wupatki National Monument is yet another site worth the drive.
On the way back to the highway, there were two more pueblos you can visit, as well as a few trails and a picnic area. But by then, it was starting to get late and I had to get going.
All of these sites were easily completed in a single day. An amazing day, to be sure.
Music by Epidemic Sound:
Drop Dead - Van Psyke
Misty Land - Headlund
Got No More Time - Red Revision
Don't You Wanna Know - Staffan Carlen
I Won't Be Turned - Sylvia Peyton
If you click on the links below - and especially if you buy from these links - I'll get compensation. So that would be cool. No, I'm not sponsored by them, but I love the products.
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Another great and historically important video . I am native American these things you show are significant to me.
Another “oddity” in that neck of the woods is the Red Mountain trail just outside of Flagstaff, where you hike into a collapsed cinder cone. Otherworldly landscape.
I'll add that one to the list. Haven't heard of it before. Thanks!
After watching this video decided to drive up to Flagstaff and do those things I drive by saying "next time". Loved Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, and in particular, the dwellings that make up Wupatki National Monument. Finished up by doing the West Fork of Oak Creek Trail the following morning. Thanks ..your videos inspire this old guy to get off the couch and experience these amazing sights..!
Awesome! Glad you got out there. Really cool area I've driven past for years.
Been there done that ( except apache death cave. ) Walnut canyon sure does have alot of stairs. A huge thank you to the hard workers that built them and all the board walks in our national parks. I"m staying right across the plateau to the south on route 3 in the coconino national forest. In my travel tralier watching Jerry Arizona. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! Hope to have a trailer or RV one of these days....and the time to use it properly.
Went to Two Guns with a friend once. The gas station was still open then, the rest was fenced off, but the buildings were still standing. We climbed the fence to explore and a guy drove over from the gas station in a tow truck and made us leave. It was a fairly creepy experience. I love Wupatki and have seen some weird shit there, especially at night. I don't know if they are still doing the backpack trips to Crack in the Rock Pueblo, but if you ever get the chance to go there, do it. Amazing ruins, lots of petroglyphs, and a fantastic view from the pueblo. I have been to Crack in the Rock several times because one of my Geology classes did a mapping project there and we had special access. We did not pack in, you could actually drive to it. I consider myself fortunate to have seen it. I'm really enjoying your videos!
I'm going to have to check Crack in the Rock Pueblo out. Thanks!
I enjoy your videos. I have lived in Oregon my whole life, I never step foot in Arizona till 4 years ago. Now I go there every winter. I can't walk very far anymore, but I see as much as I can from my motorcycle. I really enjoy Arizona in the winter.
AZ is a great state for motorcycle riding! One day I'll migrate with the seasons but for now I just hydrate extra during the summer commute
AZ is great in the winter. That's when I remind my out of state friends how awesome it is. In the summer, I keep my mouth shut and wish I was somewhere colder....And I also miss my motorcycle. Always wished I'd have packed camping gear and just taken off on it when I was younger.
What's so wonderful is that all these things are so close. Bravo for heading into the Apache Death Cave. We haven't made it to that one quite yet. And yes to I-17. What was supposed to be 5 hours to Kenab a week ago turned into nearly a 12 hour hell with 4 hours to just get to Black Canyon City. I'm fairly certain that section is one of the 7 circles of hell.
Black Canyon City on the I-17 is like the Bermuda Triangle. Always a back up, hardly ever a reason for it.
Love the PSA😂 very needed
This video made me happy! I worked at Walnut Canyon all summer and it makes me happy seeing people enjoy it! It is exactly 736 stairs round trip haha. Miss the Flagstaff monuments too
Such a cool area.
So you planned not to plan. I like it! Spontaneous.....a little crazy.
I'd say that I didn't bring the light on purpose because it was part of my plan to not plan....but it was just because I'm a dummy sometimes.
Thanks for the video. If you want a camp, camp in the woods not in the left lane. Crazy it happens everywhere.
Every time I watch one-off your videos I miss AZ. Nice day trip, thanks for taking us along.
I've been to a lot of places. AZ is my favorite by far.
I live in VOC and work in Cottonwood, every, every day, it's slow traffic on the left driving through Sedona, due to the horrid road construction in Cornville......
Thanks for sharing! It's fun to get in the vehicle and just go explore sometimes. Especially things we pass by and think "one of these days..." THAT Cave! Lol. Nope.
Right? When I was in the middle of that lava flow, I was thinking how crazy it was that this stuff was out there and I've just driven past it a million times. Same with the pueblos at Wupatki...and all of it, really.
Tnks for the video ama go this weekend
WOW! Not Sure If I Would Have The Guts To Venture Down There, Great Video!!
I like your choice of music.
Thanks!
A scenic hike to the west along the rim of the canyon off the dirt road just before the Walnut Canyon National Monument has some cool overlooks and short juts into the canyon. The other end is Fisher Point which leads into the canyon itself at the bottom of the canyon, but looked overgrown. A rule I set for myself on I-17 southbound, I'm allowed one horn outburst to a Left Laner, then it's be cool and don't let them kill you with their bad driving. Always enjoy and learn from your videos. Thanks
I'm going to look into Fisher Point. I've seen pictures in Walnut Canyon and half thought that's what I was getting into. It looked absolutely beautiful. As for the Slower Traffic Keep Right.....The I-17 sends me into a tirade every time.
You’re in my happy place! Love Walnut Canyon and Sunset/Wupatki so very much. There’s a small hike you can do in Wupatki to the Lomaki and Box Canyon ruins that was really cool. Thank you for this! Would love to see you go to Mt. Trumbull and the Nampaweap petroglyph site one day. That blew me away. Long ride in to get to the trailhead, but the Mt.Trumbull school is on the way. Very interesting. It’s places like these that made this Texan fall in love with Arizona.
I'm going to have to add that to the list. Haven't heard of it before. Thanks!
Awesome video again! Loved the ending! The 17.... Ug
You have no idea how many times I've gone into that rant alone or with Tina driving that thing. That road drives me insane.
@@JerryArizona ARS 28-721 is basically unenforced across the entire state and it drives me nuts. The fastest lane ends up being the right lane on 99% of roads
What an intro 😂 I’ve heard of this cave, glad I got to experience it through this video. I definitely would feel creeped out actually being there.
I've seen enough of your climbing videos. You'd be fine. You're fearless. But yeah. Still creepy.
That was a great video! My husband and I will be taking a road trip to Arizona in November. Wupatki and Walnut Canyon nat’l monuments will definitely be on our “must see” list. Apache Death cave, not so much 😳
Those are great stops, for sure. The cave is definitely only for certain types of (crazy) people.
@@JerryArizona Haha! That would be my husband 😉 Sedona was on our “to see” list too, but after seeing the traffic headed there, probably not a good idea. 😬
Nice vid as always! If you haven’t already I think you should check out Lockett Meadow up around Flagstaff area, gorgeous views and nice hike. The yellow aspens in fall are breath taking.
Every year I swear I'm going to Lockett Meadow, and every year I hear about the crowds/parking issues and say "next year." But one of these times, we'll check it out. Love the aspens in fall.
Maybe you figured it out, but when you're walking into the Bonita Lava flow, the Sunset Crater is the big hill behind you, on the other side of the road. The crater is in the "Y" of the road split. I really enjoyed this mashup of roaming around aimlessly! I'm also pretty sure that is the "blow hole air conditioner" I stopped at once, but it was Winter, and there was no cold air coming out for some odd reason. :)
I saw Sunset, but was already down the road from the formal trail and didn't have time to go back. Kinda embarrassing to miss a volcano crater, but it was fun just wandering around with no agenda. When I saw the blow hole I kept thinking "this is where I would've made my house. Fully air conditioned."
Having recently moved to Sedona from MN, I am amazed at how many people just drive along in the left (passing) lane. Main frame of reference is the 89A between Sedona and Cottonwood.
I constantly wonder how you can get old enough to drive a vehicle and not know what the fast lane is.....
It seems everyone in Minnesota can't follow the slow traffic rule! lol Great video!
I don't get it. I'll go on a rant about this almost every road trip. I'm like "WHAT DO YOU THINK THOSE SIGNS MEAN??!?!" Kinda a pet peeve of mine.
Looks like an epic day! So I do a lot of stupid stuff solo but going in that Death Cave would not be one of them! thats insane!
I was fine until I got deeper in there and saw a bunch of candles and it got really tight. Claustrophobia and fear kicked in and I was out of there...
I wish more drivers knew the slow traffic keep right rule..
This was awesome. I live in Lakeside, and have driven to Flagstaff a million times, stayed at La Posada and hit Homolovi, and have always wondered about Walnut Canyon and Wupatki...visited Sunset about 40 years ago....and never heard of the Apache Death Cave. COOL!!!!! Now they're on my list. Thanks!!!
Wish I had a little more time to look around. I didn't stop at the last two pueblos and totally missed the hike to sunset crater. Next time. And Two Guns was extremely interesting.
You saw most of the cave. It tightens way down at the fork. You missed a little branch to the left as you are going out. You can crawl up and over on your knees that goes back about 50 feet.
There's also a little 1 room cave around the corner separate from the main cave.
Good info! I did go into the branch off to the left, but did not see the other cave. Such a cool but creepy area. There were all these candles deep inside. Like, what were people doing in there?
No research is part of the fun/surprise. Learn as you go 👍
While in the area from the Northeast we stopped at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument. Obviously more to see if we get back there some day. Travel safe.
I’ve been in that cave, never knew there was a history to it. Glad I didn’t know the story till after. 😂
Yeah, I researched more, and guess at some point they turned it into a roadside attraction. Not sure if the ruins are real or if they were built later for effect. Either way, knowing the history, I was genuinely creeped out. I had no idea it went so far back and between claustrophobia (which I normally don't get) and the history, I'd had enough.
@@JerryArizona Eeesh. Well, I don't know if it's still there, but I remember there was a giant jimsonweed near the entrance to the cave. I'd advise anyone checking out the cave to keep an eye out since it's poisonous.
Nice
Frank Edgar
0 seconds ago
Walnut Canyon is the only ruin that I’ve visited and thought that I’d like to live there. However climbing back UP all those stairs was extremely tiring for this old man.
It was hard to not imagine how incredible it would have been to live there and see all the fires lighting up the other homes all around the valley.....
maybe the real volcano crater was the friends we made along the way?
Sometimes we find some cool surprises close to home or when you don't plan, but just go somewhere to explore. Seems you're not alone with drivers camping in the wrong lane/s. Here in Australia we have the same problem lots of times. My other pet hate is drivers at roundabouts that either don't look well before getting to the roundabout & altering speed so you don't have to stop or others that stop at the give way line & have a standoff with someone else who's not in the roundabout yet. My plan is look ahead to avoid stopping & if there's a gap you can go in, fill it.
Ha! This section of road is notorious for fast lane campers. Drives me nuts. My wife can probably recite my tirade about left lane campers by heart.
That was a tight squeeze. It's like you returned to Spooky Slot Canyon...but way creepier. 😁 Did you need a permit to explore on that land? (Not that I would ever do that one.) Great episode. 👍
No permits required at Two Guns as far as I am aware. (Hopefully I am not wrong about that since I try to abide by the rules.) My parks pass got me into the other places.
@@JerryArizona Cool 👍
Watching this video now makes me so happy I have seen all of these places years ago without all those people. I am going to guess it is just going to get worse with all these people flocking to the valley wanting to explore their new state and get out of the heat.
You are biased. I just went there to some of these places and was the only there.
Heading to overland expo in Flag for 3 days. Think I’ll check this out while in in the area. Thanks. (Looks fucking creepy)
It's extremely creepy. But worth a stop for sure.
Jerry , watch expedition skull cave on CZcams channel Mysteries of the Superstition Mountains . 76 Apaches died in that one . Men , woman and children.
You finally went to walnut ha ha . Love your pronunciation of El Patio.
Now when I’m up there and drive by I look for your truck ha ha !
Thx Jerry !
Creepy cave solo... 🤔.... No thank you. Cool trip though. I past by Walnut Canyon a couple of weeks ago after heading to chocolate falls. I didn't stop due to a storm in the area. Maybe next time.
Crazy, but I haven't gone to Chocolate Falls yet. One of these days...
@@JerryArizona Very cool if you plan it just right.
Neat looking cave. I kept expecting you to run into a rattlesnake in there! Looks like you had a great day. Too bad everything is up I-17 in this state. Coming from Chandler, by the time we make it thru town, we always end up in the I-17 backup. So we don't even try anymore. Now if you could find something like this day trip to the south or east of town, that'd be ideal!
Wait! Did you make it thru a video without Tina cussing you out? What's the word coming to these days!
I brought her Mexican food, so she couldn't complain.
Strange part of Walnut Canyon is that when train came to Flagstaff, nearby, they had tourists dig the Indian ruins there for whatever they could find. Is that crazy thinking back on it now?
I also read that a private owner bought the property where the Apache Death Cave is located. Supposedly they opened a gas station there, built the 'ruins' in the cave, charged admission to see it and even sold some of the bones of the dead Apaches to tourists. Crazy.
Selling bones... dang that is sick. My buddy is an Indian goods trader and he was taking me around a show. Pointing out all the items that were grave robbed by certain conditions. Like a piece of pottery that has a hole in bottom from missing piece. When the Indians buried their dead they would punch out the bottom so people would take. Well that does work in the modern days when people aren't using it. Never buy these as they are illegal to possess no matter what the salesman says
It's nuts, if it wakes up you will be in serious trouble, ?
Went to Walnut Canyon and Sunset a week ago with my fiancée!
Probably just missed you. This was last week.
Where is the Tapatio restaurant you always go to ? We need to go there !
El Patio. It's right off I-17 at the Cornville exit. By Montezuma's Well.
The ruins inside the cave are fake. They were made by a man named Henry Miller, and some Hopi men, to help sell tickets into the cave. That room you were in above the cave was the ticket office. The whole town, which you sadly missed, has a really interesting history too.
I checked out the town. It was really cool. Just didn't fit into the pace of the video. And I did read after that the 'ruins' were fake. Interesting history, for sure....
@@JerryArizona I'm glad you didn't miss out then
What time of year was this? Like what Temperature was it lol I'm wondering before I do something like this in 110 degree weather
This was August/July, I think. It wasn't cool, that's for sure. Luckily it's not a long walk and it is cooler in the cave.
Never heard of this cave and I'm Navajo 😅
Hey Jerry, if you could choose 1 adventure. Would it be Cathedral Wash hike or Sunset Crater/Ruins. I have a wife, 10 and 13 year old.
Think I answered this on another comment. Falling a little behind on my responses...
Would think it would be an historic site,
You would, right? I guess the ruins are fake. Someone owned it a long time ago and opened a gas station there. Put the ruins in there and used it as a tourist attraction. Sold the bones of the Apache to tourists. So strange it's just out there and open to anyone who wants to visit.....
@@JerryArizona easy there padna, was cool to see, thanks!
@@cosmiccharlie8294 I was genuinely agreeing with you! It's a part of history, but seems overlooked. Kinda strange to me too.
Who goes into a cave without a light?
Vape naysh 0:53
I had no idea what that meant. Then I searched it. And the video that came up was pretty hilarious.
You should have brought your wife. She would of freaked in that cave.
She definitely would have. I felt claustrophobic and I usually don't have that problem. She is DEFINITELY claustrophobic.