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    Montezuma Well

    4.5 (104 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Montezuma Well Photos

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    Montezuma Well
    Stephanie V.

    We stopped at Montezuma Well Archaeological Site right after we saw Montezuma Castle in late February. They are a short distance from each other if driving, and can easily both be seen in the same day. Montezuma Well is considered a sub site of Montezuma Castle National Monument. They were both inhabited by the Sinagua People of the Verde Valley in Central Arizona. You can see cave dwellings built into the side of the cliff of this collapsed limestone sinkhole. A 1/3-mile, paved uphill trail leads you to the rim of this desert naturally occurring spring. This would be a short easy hike, but the elevation made it a little challenging for me, personally, and I stopped twice to catch my breath. Hubs had no problem and continued without stopping. You may continue on and walk around the Well and explore pueblos and other areas if you wish. This will extend the distance of your hike. Water is usually scarce in this desert environment so Montezuma Well has always been seen as a sacred landscape, with water constantly flowing up from underground. The Hopi, Yavapai, and Western Apache all had special names for this hidden spring. 15 million gallons of water spring from underground here. Even during drought, 1.6 million gallons of water flow through the Well's floor vents daily. There are no fish here, but freshwater leeches instead. This place had the opposite vibe for me, than that of Montezuma Castle, which felt nestled and protected in the shadow of the mountain. Here where we were at the top of the mountain withstanding harsh winds that could blow us over into the well if we weren't careful. It made it a little creepier to know that leeches would meet us as we plunged into the water. This was a fascinating trip for us, being biologists. Because of the high levels of carbon dioxide in the water, this Well is home to five organisms that exist only here and nowhere else on earth - a shrimp-like amphipod, a little snail, a leech, a water scorpion, and a diatom. Ducks land and feed on the surface and between these six organisms, a unique ecosystem exists. Dogs are welcome here as long as they are on leashes and stay on the trail. There's a men's and women's restroom near the parking lot. There is no charge to enter Montezuma Well. A large nicely paved parking lot is available at the bottom of the trail near the Ranger station.

    Andy N.

    Monetezuma Well is one of the spots you should visit if you're planning a day trip from Phoenix or Flagstaff, and you're heading through Sedona. Calling it a 'well' is a bit of a misnomer since it's essentially a giant crater that helps churn water through to local towns, and one that you can admire from above. It's free to visit (compared to the castle which is $10 a person) and a relaxing and peaceful site. From the top, you can choose to walk down the steps to visit a cave area that was tagged by folks back in the late 1800s before the well got popular. You do have to hike up a short hill in order to reach the summit of the well. However, it's not too strenuous and no further climbing is needed once you reach the top. If you stay above, spend some time taking photos of the views and the crater. It's well worth a visit.

    Nancy G.

    There are two ways to get here....the long way and the short way. We chose the long (fun) way, which is about 2 miles, I think (?) on a dusty, dirt road. We chose the short road to exit. Technically, this is part of the Montezuma Castle park, and you pay there. We hit this place first, and were not asked to pay, or if we had a parks pass. The ranger's office is right at the beginning of the trail, and they give everyone that visits a quick run down of the trail set up. First, you head up a hill and from up there, you get a great view of the well and the cliff dwellings. As you walk away from them, you will see a small marker pointing down. If you're not steady on your feet, probably don't go on this trail, because it is full of rocks that you need to climb down, and climb up, as there is only one way in and out. Climb down the rocks, and you will eventually be walking parallel to the well, and you will come to some cliff dwellings in the rocks across from it. You can't go in them, but you can shine a light and see how far they go back into the cave. Walk back the way you came and follow the trail to the left, to pass through some remains of ancient housing. The trail will take you to another stone path where you can see the creek that the well empties into and gets filled up from. Again, turning to the left when you're done with the creek, you will walk through a small field and eventually end up back at the parking lot. The whole thing can take you less than an hour, depending on your interest level. I have the National Parks passport book, and asked the ranger if they had a stamp. They do, and it is different than the one for the castle, so if you need your book stamped, don't forget to ask! Definitely worth checking out, and you can make a day/afternoon of it with the Castle and Tuzigoot, like we did! 27/2024

    Kathy V.

    Amazingly friendly National Park Service volunteers and employees. And WHAT a hidden gem this place is! We only found out about this place during a visit to the sister site Montezuma Castle. A couple questions and a quick google later showed us it was relatively close by (maybe about a 12 minute drive) so we decided to make the most of our newly acquired parks and monument pass and headed on over! And I am so glad we did! This isn't so much a "well" as it is a natural spring surrounded by some cliff dwellings and gorgeous landscapes. A literal desert oasis. Spectacularly beautiful, and unexpectedly so. Going up the hill and getting to the overlook and first view of the spring was a literal "WOW" moment. There are plenty of informational signs that are a thousand percent worth reading to learn about the history and use of this site. And there are two short off-shoot trails that are so so so cool! One goes down in to the lower area of the well for a better look at the dwellings along the far side, and up close look in to the caves that were made in to dwellings (though, do not enter...give the bats their safe home!), and very very old graffiti and painted advertisements! The other one goes down a side of a bluff towards Beaver Creek and you get to be up close and personal with ancient irrigation trenches! Like holy cow...people created these hundreds and hundreds of years ago and, though minor updates have been done in order to protect and preserve them long term....it baffles the mind that they were made so long ago and still exist so completely! Like....wow. This place is fantastic! So interesting and insanely beautiful! You should seriously find a way to visit here.

    Ivy S.

    Some of my earliest memories I have are me running around the trails around the well. I mentioned in my review of Montezuma Castle that I would beg to come visit as a kid. I loved it here. I was a weird kid though. This visit was able to bring my kids to enjoy the amazing history and views of the Montezuma Well. The scene at the well will just take you back to a time in the southwest that we can only imagine in movies. Standing at the rim of the well you can see the few dwellings that still exist. A little history of the location is that there were a few "permanent" residents but mostly people traveling through would camp all around the top of the well while traveling. Its just so interesting. The ancient residents dug an irrigation canal from the well to Montezuma's Castle to water their crops. Its incredible. When I was young I wanted to jump around the creek and canal but my mother told me there was giant turtle that lived in it and it would bite me. I believed her. Giant turtle aside, there are leaches in the water. So you and your children have been warned. You can walk down to the base of the well from the interior. There is actually graffiti from the 1800's. Its fascinating. So many travelers came through here. There is another little sciency thing I love to think about. If you are standing at the well and look to the West and see the mountain range, the rain and snow that falls there, flows through the ground on the path of least resistance to the well. That's incredible! I don't care what order you visit you must visit both the Well and the Castle if you can when in Arizona.

    well used tobe covered with limestone
    Catherine M.

    This s an easy walk on paved surface. Be aware howeverthat there are steps to the creek and uneven terrain near well I would not consider it handicapped accessible. There are restrooms available. Being water and wear a hat as there is little shade.

    Creek you'll see going down from the mountain
    Katy Z.

    When you arrive to this location hopefully there is a spot for you car. The parking lot was pretty limited, but we did not have to wait too long for a spot to open up. To get to the Montezuma well, you have to hike up to the top of the hill to see it. It is a fairly short hike up and does not require too much. Once you get to the top, you walk a bit farther and you can see the well. The well was so clear, it was breathtaking. I previously visited the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument so we added this to our itinerary as well. This well also had a part of the mountain that looked like what I saw at the Tuzigoot National Monument. Considering it took some time to drive over to this area, I was surprised to see how this was connected to the other places since it was quite some distance. This one was definitely worth a look!

    Jeffrey S.

    Well, well, well. What to we have here? If ever there was a misleading name, this is it. You hear "well" and you think, at the very least, water. And you'd be right. But this is not a well that's been dug. And certainly Montezuma wasn't doing any digging or discovering. Instead, what we have is a big sinkhole-lookin' hole in the ground, with some ancient ruins, that was once a very important spot for the Sinagua inhabitants. Oh, and it's not potable. Due to the levels of arsenic, drinking from here is a no-no. But what is definitely a yes-yes is the lovely paved walk that leads you to the overlook. It does become rocky at the very end, and if you want to go all the way down to the water, then you leave the pavement to walk the trail down. But we stayed up above with the dog (dogs welcome on leash, btw) to imagine what it would have been like to come across this cliffed-in lake in the desert. Luckily for those ancient folks, it wasn't the only water in the area. The creek runs on the edge of the monument, but on our trip the steep walkway down to the shore was blocked off and closed; I'm not sure if that's a maintenance thing, a COVID thing, neither, or both. But it would be fun to get to the shore. We had a lovely stroll at this surprise stop. There's not much parking, but not much is needed. I get the impression that Montezuma Castle is the real highlight, and the well (a separate stop a few miles away) is much less trafficked.

    Aunt K.

    The history of this spot is fantastic. We made a quick stop here and looked around a bit but didn't have much time because the gates closed at 4:45 and it was already 4:30. After we got back to the hotel I read more about the history and we decided to go back again the next morning. If you are planning to make this a stop definitely read up on its history BEFORE you go. It makes the experience way more interesting.

    Montezuma well
    Linda H.

    There is no cost to go see the Montezuma Well. But you do have to walk up 31 steps to get there. It's not a steep climb but there is plenty of room to stop and rest. Or you can take the sidewalk that is 1/3 of a mile. We went up the steps and back on the sidewalk. Once you get to the top watch your step because you are walking on a limestone slabs. Not much shade up there ether. There are some Old juniper trees that are really cool. It a limestone sink that was formed long ago that is still fed by a continuously flowing spring. The well has no fish in it. It has high levels of carbon dioxide 80 times higher then most lakes. The only thing that lives in the well is. Miniature shrimp looking amphipod - tiny snails - water scorpion and lots of leeches. So don't fall in. Along the rim was houses built in the rock that the Indians lived in. It was really cool to learn that people lived like that. And used the water to irrigate their crops. There was paths that you could take and get closer to the water but we just walked to the car very hot. We seen a lot of vegetation and cactus.

    Hannah K.

    I didn't really expect much when we decided to stop by Montezuma Well. We had an hour or two to spare which is plenty for the visit. There is a lot of interesting information and history on the walk that you can read. My favorite part was walking down to the water where you get a completely different view of the place.

    Brock E.

    We were out riding side by sides and found our way to Montezuma's Well and decided to take the kids out to stretch their legs. I have lived in Arizona for 20yr and never stopped here. Now I'm really questioning why. What an amazing place this was! Ruins, cliff dwellings, an awesome waterfall. Definitely worth stopping by!

    The Well

    So fascinating! The Park Ranger was so friendly, kind, and a wealth of information about the Well and the area. There are some up and down walking on hills, so be aware. All walkways are either flagstone, rock, or concrete.

    Well looking down

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    Really pretty and well maintaned trails! One of my kids favorite places to explore around sedona!

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    It's definitely a quick history stop. Not a everyday thing. But I really enjoy it every time I stop by.

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    Montezuma Well Reviews in Other Languages

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    Review Highlights - Montezuma Well

    I previously visited the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument so we added this to our itinerary as well.

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    Montezuma Castle National Monument - Beaver Creek

    Montezuma Castle National Monument

    4.4(380 reviews)
    5.0 mi

    It's pretty cool; worth it on the trip out of Sedona. The different plaques are very informative…read moreand give you a different way to look at the monument post-early 1900s graffiti and looting. Theoretically, even if you didn't read a single thing just looking at the different areas and imagining how people lived on the side of a cliff is rather interesting. Know before you go, it's ten dollars per adult for entrance. I spent probably an hour on the very short loop of a walk and lingering. If you give yourself an hour, it's probably a very liberal guess of how long it would take the average bear.

    Originally, I was only planning to go to the Tuzigoot National Monument during my trip to Jerome…read moreand Cottonwood, Arizona. I went to buy the admission for Tuzigoot and I was informed that my admission would also include free admission within the next week to go see Montezuma Castle National Monument. I had no idea that the pass would include both places. LUCKY me!! Anyhow, you must visit Montezuma Castle National Monument. It is absolutely amazing and breathtaking to see in person. It's so inspiring to think about how they built such a high-rise castle into the mountain. I absolutely loved the volunteer Park Ranger who was super knowledgeable and passionate about sharing information. One fact that he shared was that part of the reason that they built the structures into the mountain was to prevent them from being flooded away. He also shared about recent flooding events in the area from the past few years. He had additional photos to show and he was answering everybody's questions with such thorough information. The walk-through of the park itself was also amazing with lots of trees and a creek. Do not skip this!!!

    Photos
    Montezuma Castle National Monument - Plenty of spots to take pictures

    Plenty of spots to take pictures

    Montezuma Castle National Monument - Old Timer Creosote Bush

    Old Timer Creosote Bush

    Montezuma Castle National Monument - Fri., 4/03/2026 - Montezuma Castle National Monument.

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    Fri., 4/03/2026 - Montezuma Castle National Monument.

    Cathedral Rock - Red bee hive looking

    Cathedral Rock

    4.9(345 reviews)
    12.4 mi

    Recommend: Hiking boots, sun screen, backpack for water bottle, and long pants…read more Park and ride shuttle parking lot filled up before 10AM. Go early if you are a morning person. This will help to finish the hike before noon. If you are not a morning person, download the Sedona shuttle app, follow the shuttle into the lot for a parking spot. The trail up to the cathedral rock can be narrow and steep at some sections. Going up is more difficult than coming down based on our experience. The view at the top - spectacular!

    I've climbed some impressive trails in my day... but Cathedral Rock clearly woke up that morning…read moreand chose violence. Sharon and I decided we were obviously elite athletes, so naturally we set out to hike it. About a quarter mile in, our lungs filed a formal complaint. Now to be fair, the trail doesn't exactly ease you into things. It basically looks at you and says, "Oh... you thought this was a walk?" From there it's steep rock, scrambling, and a steady reminder that gravity is very real. We stopped. We rested. We evaluated several recent life choices. And then we kept going. At some point along the climb it hits you: this might be the only hike where the staircase goes straight up the side of a postcard. I made it as high as I reasonably could before deciding that discretion is sometimes the better part of valor... and oxygen. So we turned back. And honestly, that's when the best part of the experience happened. As we paused on the way down, we chatted with hikers from all over North America heading up and down the trail. Every single person asked the same thing: "How far did you make it?" Not a single raised eyebrow when we said we didn't summit. Meanwhile I had been judging myself like I'd just been cut from the varsity team. From where we rested, the view over Sedona was absolutely gorgeous. Calm. Expansive. Peaceful. One of those views that makes you stop talking for a minute and just take it in. Also, small public service announcement: I originally thought this hike led to the famous chapel built into the red rocks. That would be Chapel of the Holy Cross... which is a very different destination and a much easier visit. Definitely double-check your notes before committing to this particular adventure. The trail is challenging, the scenery is spectacular, and the experience has a little bit of magic to it. Five stars for a hike that reminds you the goal isn't always the summit... sometimes it's just appreciating the view from exactly where you are.

    Photos
    Cathedral Rock - Gorgeous views

    Gorgeous views

    Cathedral Rock - Ledge you can walk out on

    Ledge you can walk out on

    Cathedral Rock - Beautiful nature

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    Beautiful nature

    Lava River Cave - Fork in the cave

    Lava River Cave

    4.7(100 reviews)
    48.2 mi

    This is the largest lava tube in Arizona and although a bit remote, very popular! I came here on a…read moreSaturday and there were many, many cars in the parking lot. It's a big lot, so there was still plenty of spaces, but I was concerned my cave experience would be full of noisy people. The entrance is a bit narrow and difficult to get down, but that is the hardest part. It runs for 3/4 of a mile underground and is a pretty unique experience to have. There were many times where I could just stop walking and turn off my light and not see anybody ahead or behind me, kind of felt like you were just floating in space! Cool natural feature not to miss if you're in the area!

    What a neat spot to visit if you are looking for a fun outdoor adventure! It was a big plus that…read morethere is a small dirt parking lot along with an actual bathroom at the trail head since there is no entrance fee I figured there wouldn't be a bathroom. This is a small cave tucked away in the woods, you'll travel down a long bumpy dirt road and your cell reception might not be the greatest. I would keep that in mind if you do not think you'll be able to climb down slippery rocks and back up again as it will take a while for rescuers to arrive if you get hurt. It was pretty neat seeing how much ice could be found just inside the entrance to the cave, I knew we would see some but I didn't expect as much as we seen. The climb down into the entrance is a little steep, and it can be wet/very slippery so wear shoes with good grip. Once you get past the initial decent the hike inside isn't too bad! There are some tighter spots, some areas where you'll need to duck down low and it is super dark so bring plenty of light sources. There were quite a few people here when we went so you won't be alone in the cave, but everyone was nice and helped make sure everyone could get past one another without any issues. There were quite a few people who visited & started to explore the cave, but realized they couldn't do it and left. Our group had three people stay behind while three explored the cave, if you end up being someone who decides not to go down there are a lot of little hiking trails around the cave. This hike can be difficult for many especially if you aren't used to hiking on uneven ground, climbing or have bad balance.

    Photos
    Lava River Cave
    Lava River Cave - 8 yrs old was a great age. Wouldn't take a kiddo younger than 5 yrs old IMO due to the slippery 45 degree angles

    8 yrs old was a great age. Wouldn't take a kiddo younger than 5 yrs old IMO due to the slippery 45 degree angles

    Lava River Cave

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    Tuzigoot National Monument

    Tuzigoot National Monument

    4.4(136 reviews)
    17.2 mi

    Tuzigoot is a cool National Monument near Sedona! You see the ruins from over 900 years ago. It's…read morereally cool to see how they built places for survival. I would recommend a tour for more information if you can get one. I just walked around and explored, but would have gotten more history with a guide. There is a small gift shop and museum to check out as well. If you are there around lunch time, there are picnic benches available to sit on if it's not too hot! Overall, it's a great stop if you like history!

    The last time I tried to visit Tuzigoot National Monument the government was on shut down and I was…read morenot able to go!! at that time I could only stare at it from the road below. I knew I had to come back when it was open to visit the site and walk around. I sure am glad I came back again because it was honestly so amazing to visit. Learning about the history of the Sinagua people was incredible and the views were amazing up there. When I visited, I also realize that when you get admission to this park, your admission ticket also allows you to visit the Montezuma castle national monument within next week of buying your ticket. I had no idea that was the case so I visited both and you can see my review for the Montezuma Castle national monument as well!! I highly recommend that you visit both. You will not be disappointed. Note that this park has a lot of steep incline so there is a little bit of hiking so to speak.

    Photos
    Tuzigoot National Monument - Aw

    Aw

    Tuzigoot National Monument
    Tuzigoot National Monument

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    Montezuma Well - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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