Grand Canyon Loop - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 459

13. Wupatki National Monument
The drive joins Rte. 89 at the village of Cameron, and 20 miles south a side road leads
to Wupatki National Monument. Indians now called the Sinaguas (sin agua is Spanish for
“without water”) lived here some 800 years ago. The multistoried pueblos they built (one
contains more than 100 rooms) were home to about 2,000 people.
14. Sunset Crater National Monument
Thescenic loopcontinues southfromWupatkiacrossthedesert,risingasitapproaches the
dramatic, almost otherworldly vision of Sunset Crater. A little over 900 years ago—only a
heartbeat in geologic time—a series of volcanic eruptions built this stunning, symmetrical
black cone of rock, ash, and cinders in an eruption that lasted only a few years; its peak
rises 1,000 feet from the ponderosa pines and lava fields around its base. The crater took
its colorful name from particles of oxidized iron and sulfur, which tint its rim in the fiery
“sunset” shades of red and yellow. While it's inviting to climb, prepare for slow progress;
loose cinders slide from underfoot.