Wupatki National Monument
Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki National Monument is an unlikely landscape for a thriving community. The early 1100's marked a time of cooler and wetter weather, when the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture. For indigenous peoples, these sites represent the footprints of their ancestors.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗Road Closure: Sunset Crater Volcano September 21 through October 26
Beginning September 21, Forest Road 545 will close to all vehicle traffic starting near the intersection with Highway 89A to the Sunset Crater Volcano entrance kiosk for culvert work. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument remains OPEN and accessible via Forest Road 545 through Wupatki National Monument. Plan for extra travel time—the drive between visitor centers is about 19 miles/30 minutes.
- InformationWupatki VC Phone Outages
The main phone line for the visitor center experiences occasional outages. Please email [email protected] if you have trouble getting through on the main number.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedWilson Piles Rx
29 mi from the park's reference point
- PrescribedWalker Hill Piles Rx
32 mi from the park's reference point · 725 acres
- PrescribedWalker Hill 2 Piles Rx
33 mi from the park's reference point · 356 acres
- PrescribedNewman Piles Rx
40 mi from the park's reference point
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehicleThis fee covers the occupants of one private vehicle for seven days at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. | $25 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers to both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. | $20 | |
| Per PersonThis fee covers entry for one bicyclist or pedestrian for seven days at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. | $15 | |
| Non-commercial GroupsNon-commercial groups are charged the per-person entrance fee of $15 for all persons 16yrs and over, not to exceed the commercial rate for the size of vehicle entering the monument. | $15 | |
| Education/Academic GroupsEducational groups visiting the monument for a curriculum related visit should apply for an Academic Fee Waiver. If no fee waiver is obtained, educational groups will be charged as non-commercial groups. | Free | |
| Commercial tours · by vehicle capacity | ||
| SedanThis fee covers the occupants of one commercial sedan for one day at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. | $28 | |
| VanThis fee covers the occupants of one commercial van for one day at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. | $40 | |
| Motor CoachThis fee covers the occupants of one commercial bus for one day at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. | $100 | |
| Mini-bushttps://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/fees.htm | $100 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkAdmits the passholder, passenger of one motorcycle, or occupants of a single, non-commercial vehicle at Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut Canyon, and Wupatki National Monuments for 1 year. | $45 | |
Entrance Fees and America The Beautiful Pass sales are Credit/Debit card only. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Cash sales of Flagstaff Monument Annual and Interagency Annual passes are provided through our cooperating partner Western National Parks Association in the park store.
Hours
| Park Hours | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
June draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Wupatki Visitor CenterPassport stamp
The Wupatki Visitor Center includes a museum, WNPA park store, park film, and restroom facilities. The building features architecture from the Mission 66 era. Park rangers are present, passes are available for purchase, and Junior Ranger activities are available.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Crack-In-Rock Ranger-Led Hike6-8 Hours
Crack-In-Rock hikes are led by park staff and are only accessible by reservations offered by the park. This strenuous hike provides an opportunity to visit Ancestral Puebloan structures and view petroglyph panels.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit Citadel and Nalakihu Pueblos5-20 Minutes
The Citadel and Nalakihu Pueblos were the central hub of a vibrant agricultural community between the early 1100s and mid 1200s CE
Opens on the Park Service site - Kaibab House Ranger-Led Hike3-5 Hours
The Kaibab House Hike is a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the backcountry of Wupatki with a ranger and see excellent examples of Ancestral Puebloan structures, petroglyphs, and artifacts.
Opens on the Park Service site - East Mesa Ranger-Led Hike2-4 Hours
The East Mesa Hike is a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the backcountry of Wupatki with a ranger and see excellent examples of Ancestral Puebloan structures, petroglyphs, and artifacts.
Opens on the Park Service site - Antelope House Ranger-Led Hike
The Antelope House Hike is a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the backcountry of Wupatki with a ranger and see excellent examples of Ancestral Puebloan structures and scenic views within Wupatki National Monument's Eligible Wilderness.
Opens on the Park Service site - Become a Junior Ranger at Wupatki30 Minutes
Join Jackie Rabbit in exploring the human history, geology, and wildlife of Wupatki National Monument and earn a Jr. Ranger badge.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 9Hide
- Visit Wupatki Pueblo5-30 Minutes
Visit the largest free standing pueblo in northern AZ which was once a bustling hub of trade and agriculture. View the whole pueblo from an overlook behind the visitor center or walk the half-mile trail to see the structure up close.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit Wukoki Pueblo5-15 Minutes
Wukoki Pueblo is an impressive eight room structure built on top of a large sandstone pedestal. It was occupied between the early 1100s and mid 1200s CE.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit Lomaki and Box Canyon Pueblos10-30 Minutes
Lomaki, Beautiful House in the Hopi language, is located at the end of this trail. It had nine rooms constructed from local limestone and sandstone in the last decade of the 1100s.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for Arizona's national parks and the Southwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 142 birds, 50 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Burrowing Owl · Cooper's Hawk · Ferruginous Hawk · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · Black-crowned Night Heron · Black-necked Grebe · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Cinnamon Teal · Common Teal · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Snowy Egret · White-faced Ibis · great egret
Shorebirds & seabirdsKilldeer · Least Sandpiper · Lesser Yellowlegs · Long-billed Curlew · Mountain Plover
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove
WoodpeckersHairy Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-breasted Sapsucker · Red-naped Sapsucker · Williamson's Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Calliope Hummingbird · Costa's Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAe'o · American Bushtit · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Grey Flycatcher · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bendire's Thrasher · Bewick's Wren · Black Phoebe · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Sparrow · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Bohemian Waxwing · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's oriole · California Scrub Jay · Canvasback · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's Kingbird · Cedar Waxwing · Chestnut-collared Longspur · Chipping Sparrow · Clark's Nutcracker · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Crissal Thrasher · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Meadowlark · Evening Grosbeak · Gray Catbird · Gray Vireo · Great Grey Shrike · Greater Roadrunner · Green-tailed Towhee · Hepatic Tanager · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Juniper Titmouse · Lark Sparrow · Lesser Goldfinch · Loggerhead Shrike · Mallard · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Raven · Pacific Diver · Phainopepla · Pinyon Jay · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-winged Blackbird · Rock Wren · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Sage Sparrow · Sage Thrasher · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Scarlet Tanager · Scott's Oriole · Song Sparrow · Tecolote occidental · Townsend's Solitaire · Tree Swallow · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western Wood Pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird · spotted towhee
Small mammalsArizona Pocket Mouse · Arizona Woodrat · Audubon's Cottontail · Black-tailed Jack Rabbit · Botta's Pocket Gopher · Brush Deermouse · Canyon Deermouse · Cliff Chipmunk · Crawford's Gray Shrew · Deer Mouse · Gunnison's Prairie Dog · Northern Grasshopper Mouse · Ord's Kangaroo Rat · Piñon Deermouse · Plains Pocket Mouse · Rock Pocket Mouse · Rock Squirrel · Silky Pocket Mouse · Spotted Ground Squirrel · Stephen's Woodrat · Western Harvest Mouse · White-tailed Antelope Squirrel · White-throated Woodrat · common porcupine
PredatorsAlleghanian Spotted Skunk · American Badger · American Black Bear · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Desert Fox · Long-tailed Weasel · Ringtail · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsDomestic Sheep · Mule Deer · Pronghorn · elk
BatsBlack Bat · Brazilian Free-tailed Bat · California Myotis · Eastern Small-footed Bat · Fringed Myotis · Pallid Bat · Pinto Bat · Western Pipistrelle · mule-eared bat
Also on the checklistCatamount · domesticated cattle
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 18 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Be prepared for variable and extreme weather conditions. You may expect high winds any time of year, summer temperatures above 100ºF (38ºC), afternoon thunderstorms July–September, and occasional snow in winter and early spring. Dress in layers, as Wupatki weather can change quickly at any time of year. For current weather please visit https://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/weather.htm
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Wupatki?
Entrance is $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, and $15 per person on foot or bike. This fee covers the occupants of one private vehicle for seven days at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Wupatki?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Wupatki-only annual pass is $45.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Wupatki takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Wupatki free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Wupatki?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Wupatki. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Wupatki?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Wupatki?
The Park Service lists no campgrounds inside Wupatki.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Wupatki right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Road Closure: Sunset Crater Volcano September 21 through October 26; Wupatki VC Phone Outages.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Wupatki?
129,864 recreation visits in 2025, number 198 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is Wupatki good for stargazing?
Yes. Wupatki is a certified International Dark Sky Park.
Source: Dark sky parks
When was Wupatki established?
1924. It covers about 55 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Wupatki?
Be prepared for variable and extreme weather conditions. You may expect high winds any time of year, summer temperatures above 100ºF (38ºC), afternoon thunderstorms July–September, and occasional snow in winter and early spring.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
