$25 per vehicle or included with America the Beautiful pass. See National Park Service website for more info.

It’s great to stop at the Visitor’s Center first. There are excellent interpretive displays that were redone just a couple of years ago. The information will help you learn about the area and the people who lived there at the time these structures were built, as well as the history of the National monument. The main ruins are accessed through the Visitor’s Center. There are printed trail guides for a self guided experience. There are several sites to visit in the monument but my personal favorite is Wukoki. It has not been restored but you can still walk right up to it, around it and in some of the rooms. It does not get as many visitors. The most beautiful feature is a “patio” of stone with a spectacular view of the San Francisco Peaks. It is quite magical when you are there alone in the early morning or late afternoon. When there is a breeze, I almost feel like I can hear the whispers of the ancient ones, and I am not a very mystical person.

Yes and no. The big cacti don’t grow above certain elevations. You will find the prickly pear cacti though. The bigger plants are found closer to Phoenix.

It works for the National Parks, and the National Monuments!

Yes - very kid friendly. Bring water and snacks and make sure they wear hats & sunscreen if its sunny.

It usually snows first two weeks in December, with temps in the mid to high 30s. Brrrr. Second half of the month will see rain, snow, wind and sunshine with temps in the high 30s and low 40s. Because there is a lot of walking at Wupatki as well as Sunset Crater, if it's snowing or flurries or raining it would be tough walking. Call the Wupatki Visitor Center 928-679-2365. Closed December 25th.

We drove and stopped for quite some time at 3 oft he sites; IF you stop at the visitor center, which I think it the first stop, they will have a more detailed map and can tell you what you have time to do before you head to the Grand Canyon. I'm guessing that we spent somewhat less than 3 hours to drive and explore the 3 area that we stopped at but we did spend a lot of time at 2 of the places - then we drove on to Page that evening and had not trouble making it before suppertime. You'll both enjoy the stops that you can make.

There are a number of different pueblos within the national monument, and there are flat trails to a few of them. There is a scenic drive through the area at includes views of the Painted Desert, Sunset Crater, lava flows, The San Francisco Peaks, wildflower meadows, prairies with antelope and coyotes, and pueblos such as Wukoki- grandma could enjoy all of these things without leaving the comfort of the car.

It is good to allow at least 1 hour to walk down and around then hike back up all of those stairs. If you bring a picnic lunch then right outside is an area of picnic tables!! The visitors center itself could take up more of your time because of the neat displays and stuff to buy. Have fun!

February is snowy here and could cause closure of the place due to deep snow or could be a dry spell , never too sure here in Flagstaff what the weather will be like!!