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Winslow
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| Tsu'vo Trail |
Please don’t call this place a “ruin”. Homolovi State Park is a Hopi ancestral
village on the high plains of northeastern Arizona that teems with both
animated and spiritual life.
Air-breathing, water-slurping terrestrial entities share space with invisible,
but very present human souls who occupied the area from prehistoric times to
1400 AD.
March is the perfect time to visit the park. Balmy
temperatures and festivities associated with Archeology & Heritage Awareness
Month add bonus points to a day trip that’s enjoyable any time of year. The park is situated at the southern edge of
the Colorado Plateau where the ruddy, sun-backed terrain smacks of NASA images of the
surface of Mars.
The lifeline of this
unforgiving yet striking landscape is the chocolatey flow of the Little
Colorado River which feeds a fringe of greenery on the site’s western edge. Five easy hiking trails explore pueblos,
dozens of ancillary structures, scattered artifacts and petroglyphs. Standing
among the sketchy footprints of plazas and ceremonial structures, it’s
impossible not to feel a connection with the ancient communities and their descendants. Of the four major 14-century pueblos within the park, two are open
for exploration. Homolovi I is situated near the river where former inhabitants
grew beans, corn and cotton on the fertile floodplain.
The Homolovi II site has
a half-mile, barrier-free trail that explores the park’s largest pueblo that
had between 1200-2000 rooms. This hillside site provides beautiful views of treeless plains, the Hopi Buttes and Flagstaff’s San Francisco Peaks. To get the
most out of this educational trek, stop by the visitor center and ask about
guided tours, demonstrations and star parties.
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| Homolovi I |
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| Homolovi II |
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| Tsu'vo Trail |
LENGTH: 4 miles total (5 trails)
Tsu’vo: 0.6
Dine: 1.5
Nusungvo: 1.2
Homolovi 1: 0.25
Homolovi 2: 0.5
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 4850’ – 4950’
HOURS: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
FEE: $7 per vehicle, $2 walk-in/bike-in
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| Pottery fragment at Homolovi I |
GETTING THERE:
From Interstate 40 in Winslow, take exit 257 and continue
1.3 miles to the park entrance.
INFO:
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