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Visiting Palatki Ruins in Sedona Arizona | 1,100 Pictographs
Palatki Heritage Site was our final heritage site in Sedona to visit. We had been to the five other official sites and multiple ruins in the cliffs, but saved visiting Palatki ruins for our last trip to Sedona.
And holy smokes, we honestly wish we would have visited Palatki sooner. We’d recommend anyone visiting Sedona to book a tour at the Palatki Heritage Site because you learn so much about the area, and can gain a deeper appreciation and respect for the places you go to in Sedona.
At first, we were put off with the idea of having to reserve a tour spot to visit Palatki, but once being there it completely made sense why. There’s limited space when visiting both the Palatki ruins and the wall art grotto, and having limited people allowed within tour groups made visiting both easy.
But that wasn’t the best part of having to reserve a time slot.. the actual “tour” itself was amazing!
Palatki Ruins Quick Facts
- Location | Palatki Heritage Site | 34.915975, -111.902216
- Reservation Website | Palatki Heritage Site Tours
- Cost | $1 for reservation & Red Rock Parking Pass ($5 on site) or America The Beautiful Pass
- Opening Times | daily 9:30 – 3:00 except Wednesdays 9:30 – 12:00 (more on this below)
- Tour Duration | 1 hr – 1 hr 15 min
- Accessibility | loose terrain with over 50 red rock steps to climb
- Dogs | No dogs are allowed at these ruins or any other ruins or heritage sites in Sedona.
Palatki Heritage Site Opening Times
Like most other heritage sites in Sedona, like Crane Petroglyph and Honanki, Palatki closes if the temperatures exceed 100 Fahrenheit. Likewise, after heavy rains, the road to Palatki may be inaccessible, causing the site to close as well.
They are open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and you must have a tour reservation to actually visit the Palatki ruins and wall art grotto.
Why The Reservations At Palatki?
We were first a bit annoyed with the need for reservations at Palatki Heritage Site. And I’m not sure, but I feel like they used to be more expensive, but now it’s simply a $1 USD reservation fee.
After visiting this heritage site in Sedona, the reservation system completely made sense. The reservation system is in place for a couple of reasons.
First, the trails to the wall art grotto and the Palatki ruins are out and backs, not very wide, and the viewing platforms for both of them are not very big. So there simply cannot be more people at any given time than the 12 or so people allowed on the tours.
The second reason.. the tours themselves. Which are amazing!
At both the Palatki ruins and the wall art grotto, volunteer rangers explain in great detail the history and what archeologists have learned about both areas. The tour aspect is crucial to understanding not just this site but Sedona as a whole.
Palatki Ruins The Ancient Red House
The word Palatki translates to “red house” and that’s exactly what the first stop on the tour is. A stop at the ancient red house on the cliff. Actually, I guess I should say, “in” the cliff.
When we visited the Palatki ruins, the ranger was so full of life and energy, truly made for this job. He told us that this red home was more like what an apartment building would be like these days. It’s believed to house about 90 people at one time.
They also believe the Palatki ruins didn’t actually have a roof over the homes. Instead, the clifftop overhang was a natural roof for the buildings.
The Palatki ruins were built in 1100, and we were so amazed at how intact the ruins were. We could see handprints of those who built the buildings, and the original wood above the doorways was still in place!
The Grotto Wall Art Area
After learning about the cliff dwelling and people of the area, the tour moves back down to the main area before going up along the red rock walls to The Grotto.
The Grotto is where over 1,000 pictographs are painted onto the walls. These are different than the petroglyphs carved into the walls at Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site, as they’re actually painted onto the rock instead of carved in.
At this part of the tour, a separate volunteer ranger gives history and detail about the different wall art paintings.
What I found most interesting at this point of the tour was the different colors of wall art are done by different tribes over thousands of years. Archeologists are continually studying this area to learn how the different colors of paint are made and to gain a better idea of the timeline of the different pictographs.
Preservation and Visitor Etiquette
When visiting the Palatki ruins and other ruins in Sedona, remember that many of the places are sacred to the local tribes. You should always stay on designated paths and never carve into or touch the ruins or pictographs.
Is Palatki Heritage Site Worth The Drive?
Yes! We think everyone visiting Sedona should try and book a tour at Palatki. The information you learn about the local tribes, the cliff dwellings in the area, and the history of Sedona makes hiking through the canyons elsewhere all the more magical.
Driving Boynton Pass Road, coming out of west Sedona is a really rough. We’ve driven it many times in our 2WD low-clearance minivan, but it’s a super slow and sketchy drive. With one part of the road super soft and sandy when it’s dry and super wet and sometimes impassible when it’s wet.
Driving Forest Road 525 is a safer option if concerned about the drive. While the views aren’t as good, and the road is still rough, it’s actually maintained and is in much better condition than Boynton Pass Road.
Either way you go, be sure to plan for at least 30 minutes extra for your drive, because you’ll have to go that slow in certain areas!
Palatki Ruins Travel Tips
Cell Service Is Limited
Driving out to Palatki Heritage Site, you’re heading a good distance out of town and then up into a canyon. We had zero cell service at Palatki, and you’ll likely lose service too.
Consider downloading an offline map app like maps.me, and make sure you have the directions downloaded before heading out to Palatki.
Shade + Services
There’s drinking water, a pit toilet, and picnic tables at Palatki Heritage Site. The drinking water and pit toilet are both in the parking area while the picnic tables are closer to the visitor center.
We recommend bringing a water bottle and filling it up before hitting the trail. You could also pack a nice picnic lunch or snacks and enjoy them under the trees.
Shade during the tour is very limited. So we suggest bringing sun protection like a hat and long sleeves or sunscreen!
Other Sedona Heritage Sites In The Area
Honanki Heritage Site | Just up the road from Palatki, but extremely rough road that I would suggest only high clearance 4×4 attempt.
Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site | The largest amount of petroglyphs in the Verde Valley.
Montezuma Well | An interesting oasis in the middle of the dry desert.
Montezuma Castle | Think cliff dwelling, but large scale… so big that it’s considered a castle!
Tuzigoot Heritage Site | Actually located in Cottonwood, Tuzigoot has a great museum of ancient artifacts.