Walnut Canyon National Monument is best known for the cliff dwellings found in the alcoves of the canyon walls, many of which are visible from the Visitor Center and the Island and Rim Trails. The Monument contains archaeological sites along the far reaches of the canyon and out of view from the public trails. Archaeological sites located in remote sections of the canyon are extremely difficult and dangerous to access. Archaeological sites located up and down the canyon include additional cliff dwellings, habitation sites, rock image panels, and artifact scatters.
The Walnut Canyon Virtual Tour focuses on 11 sites that contain rock images created by ancestors of today’s Hopi, Zuni, Havasupai, Hualapai, Yavapai, Navajo, Apache and Paiute people. This website is designed to make a sample of the Monument’s difficult-to-access archaeological sites more visually accessible and give visitors a feeling of the sights and settings of rock image sites using digital photographs, 3D models, 360-degree panoramas, and other advanced imaging techniques. Feel free to explore the site using the links on the right, both for general information and for views of the 11 rock image sites here. We recommend you read the tips for the tour before exploring the rock image sites, as it gives useful information on how to use the various image and 3D viewers on this site.