Pictures courtesy of the Coconino National Forest -Bonito Campground
Campground Overview:
Bonito Campground is named for the Bonito Lava Flow which oozed across this high desert plain some 900 years ago. That river of liquid rock, now frozen forever, is just one of the many remnants of volcanic activity which lend an otherwordly appearance to this starkly beautiful place. Though the cinder cones, lava squeeze-ups, lava caves, and petrified rock bubbles that dot the landscape became inactive over a century ago, they all look as if they could have been spurting and spouting just yesterday. This area of recent volcanic activity is so unique that much of it has been set aside as the Sunset Crater National Monument. The monument is located just beyond the boundaries of the campground.
Campsites:
Bonito Campground is a larger campground and includes 44 single unit sites with tables, fire rings and cooking grills, paved roads and spurs, campfire program auditorium, drinking water, and flush toilets.
Drive 12 miles northeast of Flagstaff on US 89. Turn east (right) on FR 545 (toward Sunset Crater) and drive 2 miles to Bonito Campground
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Developed |
Season: |
April – October |
Nearby City: |
Flagstaff |
Fishing: |
None |
Campground Website: |
Bonito Campground |
Campground Map: |
Click Here |
Reservations: |
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Location: |
Nearby Attractions and Activities:
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument was established by President Herbert Hoover on May 26, 1930, to protect Sunset Crater and the surrounding geologic formations. It occupies 3,040 acres surrounded by Coconino National Forest.
Arizona’s Sunset Crater Volcano reshaped the nearby landscape, and now offers hiking, scenery of flora like Ponderosa Pines, and an array of wildlife. Sunset Crater Volcano was born in a series of eruptions sometime between 1040 and 1100. Powerful explosions profoundly affected the lives of local people and forever changed the landscape and ecology of the area.
People had been living here for several hundred years, at least, before the volcano erupted. Although we don’t know what they called themselves, archeologists consider them representatives of the Sinagua culture. They were farmers, living in scattered groups adjacent to their corn fields. Their homes were pithouses, dug partially into the ground. 900 years later, Sunset Crater is still the youngest volcano on the Colorado Plateau. The volcano’s red rim and the dark lava flows seem to have cooled and hardened to a jagged surface only yesterday. As plants return, so do the animals that use them for food and shelter. And so do human visitors, intrigued by this opportunity to see natures response to a volcanic eruption.
Wupatki National Monument was established by President Calvin Coolidge on December 9, 1924, to preserve Citadel and Wupatki pueblos. Monument boundaries have been adjusted several times since then, and now include additional pueblos and other archeological resources on a total of 35,422 acres.
Wupatki represents a cultural crossroads, home to numerous groups of people over thousands of years. Understanding of earlier people comes from multiple perspectives, including the traditional history of the people themselves and interpretations by archeologists of structures and artifacts that remain. You can explore both through the links on this page.
Walnut Canyon National Monument was established by President Woodrow Wilson on November 30, 1915, to preserve ancient cliff dwellings. Initially managed by the US Forest Service, the monument was transferred to the National Park Service in 1934. Today a variety of archeological and natural resources are preserved on approximately 3600 acres.
The Sinagua, who inhabited the dwellings in Walnut Canyon, left mysteriously around 1250 CE. It is thought that the Sinagua left because of fear of neighboring tribes or droughts, but it is not certain. The Sinagua left over 80 cliff dwellings behind. The Sinagua built their homes under limestone ledges, deep within the canyon, some time between 1125 and 1250 CE – taking advantage of the natural recesses in the limestone cliff walls which were eroded over millions of years by flowing water. The dwellings themselves were small, but large enough for the inhabitants to cook and sleep. Most of the cliff dwelling rooms are situated near the loop trail, typically slightly above the trail and immediately outside the loop itself. Because of the area’s dry climate, the water present in the canyon was essential for its inhabitants over 700 years ago as it is for animal and plant life today.
Nearby Campgrounds:
Campground full or want to see what’s around? Try one of these campgrounds located nearby
