Palatki Heritage Site, Sedona AZ

Off the beaten path discovery, beware of the rough road getting there. Not a lot of trails to hike once you're there.

There are SO many people coming through Sedona (and rightly so) for the natural beauty, rock formations, and hikes. It’s easy to overlook small heritage sites like this one but you would be foolish to wait in line with hundreds of other people for the “popular” attractions when this little gem is low cost (only $1 reservation per person plus a parks pass) and contains so much rich history! The volunteer guides are kind and knowledgeable. We thoroughly enjoyed our time.

Amazing location & wonderful experience. Fantastic tour with extreemly knowledgable guides. Bring your camera, walking shoes & enjoy!

Spectacular site. Great docents informed you about the significance and long history of the ruins and pictographs.

A truly unique experience to visit this place to learn about the history and culture of native American Indians. The guides Jim and Nick were great. They each spent 15 to 20 min to tell us the history and interpretations. Their passions really impressed us.

Driving there was an experience in itself. The views were gorgeous. We went in from the south via the Forrest 525 Road from 89A as suggested by the gps, but came out the other direction heading east into Sedona directly. The latter was prettier. There were gorgeous views of the canyons.

Keep in mind the roads were rough and bumpy. You can't drive fast. Make sure you plan ahead.

My favorite place to visit several times a year. Petroglyphs are unmatched in the entire South western hemisphere. Geology is like non other. There is a Shaman's portal and 25' wett womb on southwest side of ruins. Only mile hike.

Fantastic Heritage site! Ranger Nick and volunteer Jim are very knowledgeable and great people

This heritage site might be a bit of a challenge to get to (roads can be bumpy) but once you are here you will be glad you came. The staff members have to be the most knowledgeable I have ever come across and will share all of their knowledge with you about the Sinagua and ancient people who lived here. Stop by the petroglyph area and talk to Jim who will wow you with his expertise. What a family friendly hike with short steps up but nothing too difficult for kids or elderly.

Time spent at Palatki is always rewarding to the soul. Please let this special place into your heart and let it guide you through the remains of an ancient Anasazi settlement complete with agave roasting pit, an enchanting grotto and greenhouse.

During your journey, you may have the pleasure of meeting ‘the genie, ’ a benign energy often encountered by visitors in quiet meditation/contemplative reflection, those who possess inherently open minds as well as those energetically receptive to an encounter. Knowing this should allay any sense of fear encountering this energy.

Energetic experiences aside, anybody visiting this beautiful place will come away wreathed in smiles. Whether you recall touring the main cliff dwelling best, the intriguing history surrounding the charred agave roasting pit or are simply overtaken by the intoxicatingly beautiful, natural environment of Sedona, you’ll be impressed.

Fantastic place. Very interesting and educational. We all really enjoyed the tour and presentations by the volunteers. Can't imagine what it was like to live in that time period. The road to the site is really a rough road.

I’m only writing this to say that you have to make a reservation for this. We got there and didn’t have the time to wait for the next available tour. Did not understand why we couldn’t tag along with the tour leaving of just three people, especially given that the tour was free. You can’t just make the short hike yourself either, which didn’t make sense to me as I had been there about 10 years ago and don’t recall having to go with a guide. I remember it being worth it though and probably would have given this a higher rating today if it wasn’t for the hastle of having to make a reservation. If you want to see some petroglyphs, no reservation needed, go to V Bar V!

Beautiful location. Remember to get a reservation for your tour and parking pass. Beware that the moment u get off the highway, it’s all dirt road. Small cars may have trouble getting through but it’s possible (I did it in a Prius)

First off the road is terrible. Without a high clearance vehicle prepare to bottom out. What they won't tell you prior to going is its a tour only with specific times.

It's a super short easy hike to the ruins. They are nothing like you'd imagine. Barely anything there to qualify for ruins. The tour consists of 100% speculation about who lived there and what the glyphs mean. To their credit tour guides do admit we know almost nothing as factual.

It was interesting buy mostly a let down as I was expecting something spectacular. On the bright side the hosts there were exceptionally nice

We learned a lot from the guided tours. The drive in was tough in a small rental car but we did it! Really phenomenal forest service volunteers who answered all of our questions. Highly recommend this for the whole family. There's very minimal hiking, it's pretty easy.

Reservations are required and the road is bad in places, but it's worth it. Beautiful scenery and awesome history.

Super beautiful spot to stop if you are in Sedona. Make reservations online or by phone before showing up.