The trail runs 0.65-miles round trip. The Walhalla Glades Pueblo Trail technically is just the 0.2-mile round trip segment of the trail described here, but combining a spur and Walhalla Overlook turns it into a short walk.
Sometimes the route is simply referred to as the Walhalla Ruins Trail. Be advised that the road to the ruins and the overlook is closed October through May due to high elevation snow.
To reach the trailhead, from Ariz. Hwy. 67 on the park’s North Rim, turn east onto Cape Royal Road. The road winds its way through a small canyon before arriving at the rim. Look for the Walhalla Overlook parking lot on the road’s east side.
Cross the road to the Walhalla ruins. When the trail splits, go right/north.
The Grand Canyon has been inhabited for at least 3000 years. Around 1,200 years ago, during the Pueblo period, those living in the region began building masonry structures. At Grand Canyon, both ancestral Pueblo people and the Cohonina thrived in their own separate cultural groups. They left behind pottery, chipped stone, and the remains of their houses as a reminder of their time at the canyon.
These settlers lived at Grand Canyon for at least 500 years, with a way of life centered around farming, hunting and gathering. Their houses were constructed of stone and mud. Similar to modern-day pueblos, these houses were much sturdier than their previous dwellings, marking a major shift in the way they lived.
Summer home
The Walhalla Glades site served as a summer home to families for more than a century. Tucked away on the Walhalla Plateau, this wooded area was surrounded on three sides by the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon.
What makes this spot even more unique is its lower elevation compared to most of the North Rim. Thanks to updrafts of warm air from the inner canyon, this area’s winter snow melts earlier than other rim areas, making it the perfect place for ancestral people to farm.
More than 100 farm sites have been uncovered in this area, all dating to between A.D. 1050 and A.D. 1150. Small, one-room structures called field houses and agricultural terraces or garden plots, where crops like corn, beans and squash were grown, are found all across the plateau.
How many people lived at the Walhalla Pueblo at one time is unclear, but it doesn’t seem to have been more than twenty. The large rooms may have been used for living while the small rooms were most likely storage units. The four remaining structures were dedicated to the all-important task of food processing. Hikers on the nearby Cliff Spring Trail can get a glimpse of what one type of storage room, a granary, probably looked like.
Rooms A-B
During the harsh winter months, the inhabitants would retreat to the canyon, likely to a settlement called Unkar Delta along the Colorado River. Archaeological evidence paints a picture of a growing community struggling to feed its people. Perhaps that’s why the industrious settlers turned to farming the Walhalla Glades, as their primary source of sustenance could no longer provide for all of them.
The Walhalla pueblo consists of six common rooms that graced most of the structures of its time. The most ancient rooms that you will encounter are rooms A and B, with the latter being situated near the north wall.
Below these rooms are pits filled with debris, indicating that people occupied this site even before the Pueblo period. The walls of the rooms are made of shaped limestone slabs that rise from the ground level. The rock rubble in the rooms was once the upper walls that people built entirely of rock. Interestingly, the remains of adobe and beams inside the rubble reveal that the rooms were roofed, and people would enter through ladders.
A small slab-lined fire pit graces the north wall of room B, and this is one of eight hearths that were used for cooking and heating the rooms.
Rooms C-I
Rooms C and D provide a fascinating glimpse into the ancient architecture and construction techniques of their time. The use of large, unshaped limestone blocks set on edge is a testament to the ingenuity and skill of the builders. Interestingly, room D has a particularly unusual feature – a large limestone slab, also set on edge, which may have had a specific function. The presence of lichen growing on the rock adds to its mystery and intrigue.
Next are two small rooms known as Rooms E and F. Their size and location suggest that they likely were used for storage.
Rooms G, H, and I were less well-constructed than the larger ones. In fact, there’s evidence that these rooms may have been built and occupied by the last people to live at the site after the rest of it had burned down.
As walking back to the road, go on the trail branching right/east. This heads to the top of the same ridge as the ruins and offers a view into the some of the area the inhabitants of Walhalla likely hunted and foraged.
Walhalla Overlook
Return back to the parking lot. At its southeastern end is a short walkway to the Walhalla Overlook that offers a fantastic vista of the Grand Canyon.
Standing atop this overlook, a breathtaking view of a vast landscape unfolds before you. Echo Cliffs and the Painted Desert emerge in the distance, their vibrant colors and unique formations capturing your attention. As you take it all in, your gaze shifts southeast to the magnificent Little Colorado River Gorge, carving its way through the terrain with effortless grace.
Just below you in the canyon lies the Unkar Delta and Colorado River, both of which boast a rich cultural history with numerous archaeological sites and significant importance to the native people who once called this land home. It’s hard not to be inspired and humbled by such a magnificent display of nature’s beauty, with the surrounding drainages all feeding into Unkar Creek before eventually making their way into the mighty Colorado River.
Exploring this area, you can’t help but feel a sense of wonder and excitement for the rich history and natural wonders that await you.
TOPO MAP
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