Navajo National Monument in northern Arizona was created in 1909 to protect the sites of three ancient Puebloan ruins. Its name is derived from its location within the Navajo Nation rather than the people who lived there and abandoned these settlements several centuries ago. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park […]
You are browsing archives for
Category: National Monuments
Bears Ears
Bears Ears National Monument was established in 2016 to protect natural and cultural resources in southeastern Utah and spans the area between Canyonlands National Park in the north and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the southwest. Jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and the Five Tribes of the Bears […]
Petroglyph
Volcanic activity near modern day Albuquerque, New Mexico produced canyons of black boulders that became the canvas for native Americans who inscribed these rocks with an amazing variety of petroglyphs. Many of these glyphs are preserved in the multiple units of Petroglyph National Monument, established in 1990 to protect these sites. Visitor Rating (write your […]
Salinas Pueblo Missions
New Mexico is full of history from many eras. The three ruins sites preserved by Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument offer the visitor a glimpse into the meeting of the Puebloan and Spanish cultures that dates to the 1600s. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Visit. I […]
Fort Union
New Mexico is rich in history, and many of its National Park units protect this history, both Native American sites and sites which speak to the United States’ westward expansion. Fort Union was perhaps the most important fort in the Southwest because it not only protected the important Santa Fe Trail, but it was a […]
Devils Tower
Devils Tower is a natural icon so unique it has been the basis of mystery and legend from the time the native Americans first saw it to the science fiction craze of the 1970s. Whether you want to see something truly unique, explore an island of pine forest in the canyons and grasslands, or see […]
Chimney Rock
Chimney Rock National Monument, Colorado, was established in 2012 on San Juan National Forest land surrounded by the Ute Reservation. Its twin rock spires high on a ridge inspired the name, but the monument protects several sites of ancient Puebloan ruins built by the Chaco people. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating […]
Aztec Ruins
Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico protects the site of a large Puebloan ruin. Established in 1923, this site is one of many that protect sites of the Chaco Culture, but it is certainly one of the most accessible sites of its kind. Despite the name given to it by American settlers, this site had […]
Waco Mammoth
Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas preserves the active dig site for the remains of a group of at least 24 prehistoric Columbian mammoths. While the first bones were discovered in 1978, the site wasn’t opened to the public until 2009 as a joint venture between the city of Waco and nearby Baylor University. In […]
Capulin Volcano
Capulin Volcano National Monument in northern New Mexico protects a well-preserved cinder cone volcano from a field that erupted thousands of years ago. Established in 1916, it’s one of the older monuments in the National Parks System. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Weather. Clear but windy and 50 […]
Tonto
Tonto National Monument, in the Superstition Mountains of central Arizona, protects a series of ancient ruins of cliff-dwelling natives known as the Salado culture. Set in the northeast corner of the Sonoran desert, the monument is not only home to well-preserved ruins, but beautiful red cliffs and Saguaro cactus as well. Visitor Rating (write your […]
Casa Grande Ruins
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona, protects a large ancient ruin (the so-called “big house”) of the native Hohokam people in southern Arizona. It was declared a National Monument in 1918, but its federal protection had been underway since 1892 making it the first reserve for a prehistoric cultural site in the U.S. Visitor Rating […]