Tonto National Monument
We were very fortunate to be able to join a guided hike to the upper dwellings at Tonto National Monument. Only 900 people get to go up here a year as the site is historically sensitive. We were even more fortunate to have Eddie give the tour; he has been a Ranger at this park for 31 years. Plus,he is an archeologist and an anthropologist. Fabulous source of information, really made the dwelling come alive, historically speaking.
Local populations have lived here for thousands of years, then around 1400 AD they just disappeared. There is lots of speculation why, but no one knows, as the Indians had no written language. Fortunately, the remnants of their civilization gives a good idea how they lived. There are literally thousands of remnants to help us piece together a good image. Fascinating!
Also, I have many more pictures on our Flickr album, a link is provided on the front page.
Part of the way up is through a rich valley
Now we're getting a good view of the dwellings
Looking back into Tonto Basin
Now we're getting closer
Inside one of the rooms
A view from the back of the dwelling
Looking from one room into others
The beams are old, the grafitti isn't
Roosevelt bridge, especially for my riding buddies
Laninga's Travel Blog 
John, great pictures. I actually rode up to the visitor center at Tonto the first year I did Arizona. That’s a mistake I didn’t repeat. (especially since you still had to do Roosevelt Summit that day (6mi @9%). I don’t think they are still having the Arizona ride. I couldn’t find anything about it on line. The Boyce-Thompson Aboretum is fantastic. We rode through Superior the first couple of years I did the ride and always stopped at the aboretum. Great to hear from you. Look forward to seeing you. ben
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