We had such a blast on this trail today. It's an unpaved road but our Mazda CX9 handled it well just taking it slow!! What a cool little gem, these ruins in Sedona!! It was surreal seeing the hieroglyphics from so long ago!! This was our favorite activity this week, would love to come back!! read more

See all

The tour guide Tom was amazing. He was knowledgeable and friendly. His wife was so friendly and personable.

This is a must if you are in Sedona ! Indian Ruins that are over 800 years old. There are tour guides that volunteer there time to guide you up to the Ruins and give you all the information about this historic site. It is simply breathtaking! I will definitely always go back it was that amazing. read more

See all

We were going to sleep but decided to get out of the room. My fiancé found these ruins and at first I was not into it because of the drive but I am so happy we went. I loved the workers wealth of information, the scenery and the different cave paintings/ buildings. The drive itself was a little rough on the rental but so happy we did it. Also it was only a few dollars! read more

The Palatki Ruins are spectacular and are well worth the hike. Reservations are required (in order to protect the site) and can be obtained in Sedona or online. The tour guides when we were there were extremely knowledgeable and gave a very informative talk about the ruins and the history of the people who lived here. From the parking area, you'll need to hike about 1/2 mile to reach the actual ruins. The guides will point out the petroglyphs (pictographs) among the ruins and some of these are really fantastic. This site is a "must-see" for anyone into history, anthropology and/or archaeology. Allow about 2 hours for the hike, the tour and all the follow-up questions for your tour guides. The guides are great and are very willing to talk about the site and to answer any questions. read more

The volunteer guides were very knowledgeable and the ruins sights were super interesting. The road to get there is another story. It nearly ruined our tires on a sedan. Definitely use an SUV or truck. read more

Must book reservation, wear good hiking shoes or at least sneakers with good grip, and bring water. Worth the trip, but plan a few hours (at least an hour to get there from Oak Creek), then at least an hour there (tour is slightly longer than an hour). Must call ahead to reserve a spot on the tour, they are strict with how many people can attend each session. Unpaved road is bumpy without 4 wheel drive, but we did it with a Camaro driving 8-10 mph. Took 20 minutes on unpaved road on the way there, only 15 on way back, that side of the road wasn't as bad and we could go 15-20 mph on the way back. Tour is split in two parts, the dwellings and the petroglyphs. Tour guide volunteers are friendly and knowledgeable. I was expecting more petroglyphs, but the tour guide did a good job explaining the ones that were present. One unisex outhouse near parking lot. Water slicker beside it. Unlike other reviews, did not come across any bees. read more

Palatki Ruins - Dwelling ruins - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Sedona, Arizona

The Palatki ruins, off of Route 89A in West Sedona, was home to the Sinagua people during the period of AD 1100-1300. In our time, the site has been home to Charlie, the septuagenerian volunteer and all-around caretaker who lives in more modern accommodations on the site. Since he's been here for over a decade, you'll probably meet him when you visit. Tip your hat to him for he had a hand in restoring the site to its current beauty. The proud castle-like but humble ruins sit at the base of a cliff and are surrounded by trees and bushes. It has an oasis feel to it as the sun blazes on the open land yet can't get its rays on the shaded area until later in the day. This site was a farm for many years, so vandalism's hands didn't get close to this place. Indeed, there are a number of strong pictographs in solid white and solid black coloring. Sedona tourist agencies caravan the fanny-pack crowds here and it sometimes gets so crowded that reservations are required. On my visit early in the day, the small parking lot was full by the time I departed. If you want to beat the crowds, go early and say hello to Charlie while he tells you some stories about Palatki. read more

See all

It is a guided tour but they are AWESOME and are all volunteers! Make sure to call to make a reservation! I tried calling the day before but apparently their lines were down. We went anyway and called from the parking lot. They had an opening for a tour that was starting so they fit us right in. The ruins are truly amazing to see. The road to the ruins is a dirt and rocky road so take it slow if you are in a car (I was in a Toyota Corolla) and watch the weather as they may close the road due to it may get impassable for some vehicles. read more

Palatki Ruins - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Sedona, Arizona

See all

Fascinating tour! Can not recommend enough! Teri was such a knowledgeable host with a wealth of information! I could have listened to her all day. So many civilizations used this area, it's a must see if you enjoy history. Thank you to all the rangers especially Teri! read more

Really neat experience. Easy ruins to hike up to and not a busy place since you need reservations. The guides were full of info and stories. Kids and adults loved this place. read more

So beautiful & a great free tour! Bring your camera. Call at least a day in advance to book reservations. We went with 4 kids (ages 6, 8, 10 & 11). They all enjoyed it! The tour was about an hour. 30 min on the cliff homes & 30 min on the petroglyphs. Climbing up to the cliff dwelling homes was a moderate hike up rocky steps. They have free walking sticks you can borrow which really helped me. Walking to the petroglyphs was an easy hike. You see beautiful pictures on the rocks & another ancient home you can walk in. Driving to this place was a little scary. 30min of bumpy, up paved roads. If you have a 4x4 you won't have any problems. We didn't, so we had to drive really slow. By the time we arrived, our car was caked with orange dirt. read more

After calling the ruins phone number listed both on Google and also on the official website numerous times with no success, we drove to the ruins to see if we could possibly get in on a tour. Upon arrival, I was told that the number on the website is incorrect as well as on Google. PLEASE NOTE THE CORRECT NUMBER is (928) 282-3854. The last four digits are transposed on the Internet. The ride to get to the ruins was fun as we took the off-road route. One of the volunteers Lisa, was so friendly and accommodating. She let us into the next tour so we had to wait a half hour, which was fine by us. I was so grateful because I wouldn't have wanted to miss this. Lisa talked to our group and told us part of the history before sending us on our way without a guide to the Ranger awaiting at the cliff dwellings. The climb up to the dwellings is pretty difficult. There's about 50 very steep rugged stone steps on a steep rugged path. There are walking sticks and I recommend grabbing one or two. It did help me with balance. The effort to get to the top is worth it when you get to see the rooms that originally were built 900 years ago. The ranger was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions about the dwellings. We then descended that steep path all the way back down. Then we took a second more forgiving pathway to where the pictographs are. Another Ranger is up at this point and describes the etchings, pictographs and paintings on the wall plus the history. It was a gentleman with a long white beard (sorry I forgot his name) and he was very knowledgeable. It was so cool to see. I highly recommend seeing these ruins. There are more paths, but unfortunately they were closed due to falling rocks. Make sure you make reservations calling the correct number. They space out the tour groups for safety and for preservation as well. They do stop the tour an hour before the park closes, so be aware of that as well. Make the reservation, you won't be sorry! read more

This was such a great archeological site. Our two guides, the two Toms, were informative, friendly and answered every single one of our questions. The tour is free. Like the other reviews, you need to call to make a reservation ahead of time. I called the morning of and was able to get a timeslot around lunchtime. They were very accommodating. You do need a parking permit. You get to go up close to the dwellings and learn a lot of the history of the area. One of the Toms explained the housing along the cliffs. The other Tome talked about the pictures and the meanings behind each one. We went during a time where we were able to take a closer look to the pictures, cliffs, and the former living quarters of the farmer that found the area. Tom told us that during a certain time during the summer, they close off a section of the cliff for the bats that migrate there. They are also closed during rains. There are a lot of bees. I am deftly allergic to bees so I try my best to stay away from them. Usually, bees are not a big deal to me since I usually walk around them but there are a lot and they started following and landing on me. I ended up wearing my sweatshirt with my hood the entire time. Besides the bees, the Palatki Ruins is definitely worth visiting. read more

See all

The Palatki ruins were just up the road from the house we rented in Sedona so we had to go check it out. Call ahead to make reservations, especially if you have a large group and make sure you arrive on time. They only allow a limited amount of people up to the ruins each hour so if you are late you may have to come up another day. The volunteers were very friendly and knowledgeable. It's just a short hike up to the ruins, but it does get a little steep at the end. One of the volunteers walked us up to the ruins of the dwellings, telling us all sorts of interesting facts on the way. Once we got up to the top he handed us off to the next volunteer who told us all about the dwellings we were looking at. Once you are done at the top of the hill it's another short walk to your next stop, the grotto. This is a very easy walk, not steep at all. Once you arrive there is another volunteer stationed there ready to tell you about the grotto and the pictograms and answer all the questions you may have. It was very cool to see all these ancient dwellings and pictograms, be sure to bring a camera! read more

See all

Absolutely a best off the beaten path trip highlight! The steep brief hikes to both the ruins and to the petroglyphs are very beautiful! There is so much real history you can observe, and unlike Motezuma's Castle, you can get right up there and see the stuff up close and personal. Mr. Schwartz gave a phenomenal presentation that would appeal to the child and scholar alike and gave us more than a handful of extremely intriguing factoids about Arizona's Verde Valley savanna and Sinauga and Hopi 'Indians'. You'll love getting to see the massive solar calendar that was really used hundreds of years ago. Even the red clay dirt road to the ruins was a very fun and scenic drive. We could've made it in a Pinto, Yugo, or little rice burner, driving 20mph, but it sure was exciting in an FJ at :) MPH! I recommend calling in advance and making an appointment for a tour. You'll want to spend 60-90 minutes there. There are other trails in the area and a little gift shop and museum too. read more

See all

Coolest of the archeological sites I've seen in Sedona. First DO Make reservations for your trip. You cannot come without one and go up you will be turned away and for good reason! As an active archeological site to prevent disturbing the ruins the Free Tours are Guided! And admit one 30 people max per tour, (ours had 13people) to prevent disturbing the site. To get there take: Dry Creek Rd. In Sedona until it dead ends, turn left as the sign shows follow that road until you come to the next T with sign pointing left, one more of these and you will hit a rocky dirt rd for a few miles, the next sign T's for either Palatki or it sister site... Parking is $5 dollars via red rock parking pass all people working are Volunteers and extremely nice polite and cant wait to answer questions, you'll have time to take photos and enjoy the scenery as well as the pictographs and dwellings!!! Dont follow the directions on yelp, i called direct to the site as well as Sedona visitors Center to back up my directions You may want a vehicle withe better ground clearance the dirt path is rocky and uneven in places its about a 6-7 mile trip but if you care about your care it will still take you about 45 min to get there driving through the incredible expanse of Sedona.... It is COMPLETELY worth while to visit the site! Area is shaded and sunny, and they had bug spray there free, as well as a little shopping and bathrooms in the parking lot. In the past you could not get up as close as you can now, so some other reviews of a few years back need to be updated... read more

See all

This is a tough place to get to on the road and then, once you get there, it is not easy getting to the sites. However, it is worth it. It is not as well preserved as one would like but, based on the number of years that have passed, it still looks good. You will see some of the buildings that were built into the side of the mountain, along with some of their drawings that are still visible on the walls. It is definitely worth the trip. I suggest you make reservations (it is free of charge), wear comfortable shoes and use a walking stick (they have a few available). read more

See all

We came at a somewhat bad time in that we neither could approach the ruins nor go up to the grotto on the day we came. Both closures were due to safety concerns, be they falling ice or cracking cliff wall. But the view was nice. You need reservations to park at Palatki. I called ahead coming up the 17 and the rangers were nice enough to put us down for "Noon-ish." There's no cost to visit Palatki; however, you do need a Red Rock pass ($5, and they sell them in the ranger station). The rangers require that you stop by their little house along the way to be briefed on what you'll see and what you shouldn't do. They recommended taking the right trail first toward the cliff dwellings before turning around and heading toward the grotto. The rangers also have walking sticks that you can borrow for the short hikes while you're visiting. Honestly, we didn't see very much. We saw the ruins from afar. They were closer to the ground and obscured by trees. Since the grotto was closed off for safety concerns (for which they deeply apologized and said to go back to the house for detailed photos of every pictograph and petroglyph), a ranger took us up to another area covered in cave art. Since some of it is actually in crayon, I spent most of my visit to the area trying to decipher what was done by the natives and what was more recent graffiti. It was actually pretty hard to tell. On the wall were drawings in clay, etchings made by Navajo on hallucinogens, holes bored in by buckshot, and a wide array of things. Pretty neat when you've got a ranger there explaining it to you. read more

Pictures do not do this place justice. First off, entrance is free with a reservation - not many places like that around. If you are into anthropology this is a good place to visit. A lot of petrogylphs as well as paelo artwork. The ruin site itself is in good condition considering how long it has been unoccupied and the amount of foot traffic it has experienced since becoming a protected sight. Fairly easy to find as there are signed posted everywhere. I would advise reading up on the Sinagua before visiting to give rise to more context. Guides are knowledgeable and the scenery is amazing. read more

Make a reservation and come see the ruins! It is free to see the ruins. The only thing that costs money is parking - Red Rock Pass. The park volunteers are so welcoming and informative; Jan, Tom, and Wendell are great. You get to see the ruins up close - cliff dwellings and pictographs. Easy walk from the information center to each site. read more

Palatki Ruins - Entrance - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Sedona, Arizona

Fantastic experience. Loved the tour guide. Donation only (make sure you buy a parking pass though). The ruins are beautiful. Tough drive there, but well worth it. read more

Palatki Ruins - The beauty of Palatki Ruins - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Sedona, Arizona

This place is great! I first heard about it from reading reviews for Pink Jeep excursions. We ended up doing the Broken Arrow Pink Jeep tour (which is amazing! See my review on their Yelp page) but I was still interested in doing the ruins because I was with my mom (who enjoys history) and my dad (who enjoys all things Native American) so I thought this would be a great thing to do during our time in Sedona. We were staying at Enchantment Resort and the ruins are very close by. Initially, though, we made the mistake of plugging in the address they have listed online into our GPS and that took us to a random residential neighborhood. We remembered we had seen signs for the ruins near Enchantment so we headed back towards the resort and just followed signs. We noticed one of the signs mentioned a phone number that needed to be called if interested in seeing the ruins. We had initially been under the impression that you could just go to the ruins yourself and look around, but that is not the case. Instead, you call and make reservations (I highly recommend calling in advance of your visit, as spots seemingly fill up fast). I called the number but unfortunately they were all booked up. The woman on the phone explained the ruins are visited by guided tours only, and they have a very small parking lot (and the area around the ruins themselves is also small) so they can't have a ton of people. Since we were already almost there, we decided we'd at least go check it out to see if there was any possibility of getting in. The ruins were a little tricky to find, as we began down a gravel road and there was another dirt road off to the right. Initially we turned down the dirt road - but this is NOT the way to the ruins. You have to continue down the gravel road until it turns into a T intersection, at which time you turn right until you get to the parking lot of the ruins. It is a small parking lot, just as the lady said. We walked to the small office past the parking lot, where visitors sign in and wait for their tour to begin. As fate would have it, a party of 3 ahead of us ended up not going on the tour so it freed up exactly 3 spots for my parents and I (pets are not allowed so my husband stayed behind with our dog). The tour itself was great! It was a short approximately 1/4 mile hike to the ruins, and a volunteer tour guide gave us some great historical information. It was really neat to see, but you can't get too close/touch the ruins. After the ruins, there is another short approximately 1/4 mile (or maybe shorter) hike in the opposite direction to pictographs (art on the rocks) as well as a really neat cave. Again, volunteer guides gave great historical information. You can tell they really know their stuff, and are passionate about it. My parents LOVED this tour. They were fascinated by what they learned. I'm not a huge history person myself, but I still appreciated the very cool sights and we got some great pictures. It's definitely a really neat thing to see and a worthy stop if you're in Sedona. read more

An amazing glimpse into the people of our past! It was so raw and untouched. A fun hike up to the dwelling ruins. Such intense natural beauty surrounding this former community. The guides were friendly, outgoing, and very knowledgeable. Rob, Bea, and Jo, thank you for teaching us and helping us picture what once was! read more

Call ahead for reservations and be prepared to scolded for acting like a kindergartner by the woman in the office who was proud to tell us that she was older than us (and therefore better in some way?). The ruins and the docents are worth having to endure her though. The docents are kind, patient, and very knowledgeable. They were able to point out elements, pictographs, and petroglyphs that the lay person wouldn't see - you might think they were just scratches or stains on the rock. The park closes at 3:00, and the woman in the office gets very crabby around 2:30, complaining about "kindergarteners" staying up on the ruins too long, so try to plan your tour around her schedule. read more

Palatki Ruins - A "portal" - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Sedona, Arizona

See all

"Five stars. Highlight of the trip" in my husband's words of the Palatki Ruins. I did a bit of research to find an activity that I thought my husband would enjoy. Boy did I hit the nail on the head. The off road on the way is quite an adventure in itself. After a mini hike, you get to the ruins of their shelter. Then on the other side... the drawings. Lots of interesting stuff. Don't forget to leave a donation. read more

Don't make reservations when you hit the dirt road because there is no cell service. We took a chance and headed out there and was greeted with open arms...this is one of the best Cultural sites to visit and the docents were so knowledgeable and kind. We had many questions and they took the time to explain and answer all of our questions. We asked if we could enjoy watching their many hummingbirds and birds and was grateful they allowed us to walk on their private living space to bird watch...such a pleasure and this one is a must to see! The hike is not far and walking sticks are provided but not needed. You are able to get up and close to take some amazing photos. read more

See all

It Was the Best of Guides, It Was the Worst of Guides If we had done only the first half of the tour, this would be a five-star location. Paul was an excellent guide, bringing a wealth of information to the experience. John, on the other hand, needs to do a lot more homework before he is ready for prime time. Despite being a nice enough fellow, he clearly doesn't know the subject matter very well. When talking about a creation petroglyph, he referred to Christianity's Noah fable. To make matters worse, a petroglyph clearly showing the four directions was offhandedly described as Christianity's Cross symbol. Of course, people who were yet to have first contact with Christians by hundreds (or even thousands) of years would be referencing Christianity in their petroglyphs. [/sarcasm] Sadly, this unwarranted injection of Christianity severely dampened an otherwise enjoyable experience. Note: the America the Beautiful Pass is accepted here. read more

Was closed today. Maybe the government shut down? Thanks Trump...what a bummer. We were really looking forward to it.

Must see in Sedona, so much fun, guides are amazing. Incredible experience, highly recommend.

We went here with the Pink Jeep Tours. The tour guid was knowledgeable and energetic. My 10 year old didn't want to leave he could have spent the day there. read more

This was a great experience taking into consideration the fact that I like history and alien theory. The presenters were very knowledgeable and were able to answer questions proficiently. The is a little hike that could be challenging for some folk. I highly suggest that if you need more time to get around you tell them in advance so that they can accommodate your needs. You will need a reservation for this adventure ensure you make one. read more

The location Yelp has for this is not even close. It is 45 minutes from Sedona. Take 89A to Dry Creek Road to Boynton Pass Road and then follow the signs. You need the Red Rock pass and call Palatki to make a reservation. It is a beautiful ride and worth the trip. The last few miles are not paved but we made it OK with a very low ground clearance car by going slow. Lots of pink jeeps passed us. The grotto is cool. There are people there to explain and answer questions. They won't let you get close to the ruins because they are afraid a rock might fall. It probably won't fall for a hundred years. Both locations are an easy walk. read more

The ruins are hidden away in a little valley. Since the ceiling above the ruins has started to show signs of cracking, you cannot get up close and personal any more. A volunteer was stationed at the bottom and he was a wealth of information. We asked a lot of questions. Then we visited the rock art, which was fascinating. The pictographs are all very interesting, especially since several different groups used the site over hundreds of years. It must have been considered a sacred place. I think the coolest thing was the grotto. The water makes reflections on the wall, and the people tried to represent these water ripples with drawings. What were they thinking when they created this? Let your imagination run wild. read more

Kind of cool, but it's a long, dusty drive. I wouldn't recommend going right now because they aren't letting people go up to the ruins since there's a huge rock they're afraid might fall down. read more

Magical spot. It was a trek out there, but so worth it. Wear hiking gear and a hat...bring tons of water too!

We went here today and enjoyed the tour. I wish we would have gone earlier in the day so that we could have visited the Honanki ruins that are close by. Both ruins close by 3pm. read more

One of the best pictographs sites I have ever seen. The Forest Service volunteers at this site were fantastic. They were very informative and well versed in the subject. This site is a bit of a drive on a well maintained but rocky dirt road. This site has an interesting history from ancient to the more recent. I recommend this but you do need a reservation. read more

The volunteers are wonderful and full of historical information about the ruins and tribes that lived there. You see small dwellings and a few pictographs. They warned us about several Diamondbacks being spotted but we were fortunate to not encounter any. We did see a few geckos and a hummingbird. The trail is pretty short to the dwellings. The pictographs are on a different trail also pretty short. They provide walking sticks for the hike if you choose to use one. I would recommend water and a hat. read more

If you're a history nerd like me you will enjoy visiting these ruins. Breathtaking views, knowledgeable tour guides and most importantly it is free. Looking forward to going back with the kids. This is a must do... read more