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| An ancient Arizona village once was home to 750-1000 people. |
The 0.35-mile trail loops around the 700-year-old site at Homolovi State Park just outside of Winslow. Some maps identify the route as the Homolovi I Trail. A hike there is best done September through May, as the summer heat can be oppressive and even dangerous.
To reach the trailhead, from Interstate 40 in Winslow, exit north onto Ariz. Hwy. 87. Turn left/northwest onto Homolovi State Park Entrance Road. Take the next left/southwest to the state park campground. Pass the campground and park in the lot at the road’s end.
The trail heads northwest from the parking lot.
Farming village
An oxbow lake is to the left/west. It formed when a meander in the Little Colorado River was cut off from the main stream. This typically occurs when the main stream breaks through the neck of the meander and forms a straighter course.
Around 1330 CE, people from the Hopi Mesas about 60 miles to the north came to this bend on the river, which was a lush floodplain with rich soil.
At 0.1 miles, the trail splits; go right. The ruins of their village – today called Homol’ovi I or Homolovi Pueblo – quickly comes into view.
The pueblo contained 1200 rooms, with parts of it three-stories high, and was divided into three plazas. Archeologists estimate that as many as 750-1000 people could have lived there at any given time.
Pueblo residents farmed the floodplain, growing beans, corn, cotton and squash while gathering wild foods like fruit from cactus and yucca, Indian rice grass, pigweed and pinon nuts. The cotton they harvested was exchanged with villages to the north and west.
Little Colorado River
Once past the pueblo ruins, the Little Colorado River comes into view as the loop reaches its north side.
During the late 1300s, the pueblo succumbed to a flooding Little Colorado River. Villagers abandoned the site, and archeological evidence suggests they returned to their ancestral villages on the Hopi Mesas.
The loop reaches the stem at 0.25 miles. Go right/southeast and return to the parking lot.
In addition to the pueblo ruins, thanks to the river’s nearby location, you stand a good chance of spotting wildlife. Birds are your best bet, with the burrowing owls, horned lark, kestrel, raven, red-tailed hawk, roadrunner, and golden eagle all present in the park. Other animals that call the riverside home include coyotes, deer, porcupines, rabbits and squirrels.
There’s no shade on the trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Leashed dogs are allowed.
Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.
TOPO MAP
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