Pithouse Ruin

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 350 ft.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3476 - 3479 feet
Cellphone: 2-4 bars
Time: 15 mins.
Trailhead: Pithouse Ruin
Fee: none
Attractions: pithouse ruin

The Pithouse Ruin is located in the Montezuma Well section of the Montezuma Castle National Monument near Camp Verde, Arizona. A short paved trail leads to a shelter that covers the excavated remains of a Basketmaker III era pithouse.

Montezuma Castle National Monument (3)

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Montezuma Castle      
Round trip distance: 1 mile (Easy)
Elevation: 3197-3225 feet · Fee: $10/vehicle

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Montezuma Well      
Round trip distance: 0.8 miles (Easy)
Elevation: 3531 - 3626 feet · Fee: none

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Pithouse Ruin   
Round trip distance: 350 ft. (Moderate)
Elevation: 3476 - 3479 · Fee: none

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Montezuma Well

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3531 - 3626 feet
Cellphone: 0-4 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Montezuma Well
Fee: none
Attractions: Cliff dwellings, unique geology

Montezuma Well is a detached annex of the Montezuma Castle National Monument located near Camp Verde, Arizona. The Montezuma Well unit protects the unique geological feature that is the well itself along with several cliff dwellings within the crater of the sinkhole, a multi-room pueblo located above the rim and a nearby pithouse. Montezuma Well is regarded as very sacred among the Yavapai for they believe that it was here that they emerged into this world.

Montezuma Castle

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3197-3225 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Montezuma Castle Visitor Center
Fee: $10/individual 16 and older
Attractions: Ancestral Puebloan Ruins

Montezuma Castle is located a couple miles north of Camp Verde, Arizona in the Montezuma Castle National Monument. Take exit 289 on I17, which is about 75 north of Phoenix and 55 miles south of Flagstaff. Head east for about 1/2 mile through two round-a-bouts and turn left onto Montezuma Castle Road. Follow the road for about 2 miles to the parking area. The parking area can fill up quickly but vehicles seem to come and go at a regular pace. There is a wide shoulder along the road for buses and over sized vehicles on the hillside after circling through the main parking lot.