Ancient Hopi Pueblos, Star-Gazing & Art Await at This Sacred Arizona Park

Homolovi State Park

Most people zip past Homolovi on I-40 without realizing they’re passing one of the Southwest’s most important archaeological sites.

These pueblos near Winslow, Arizona tell the story of the Hopi ancestors who lived here, grew cotton, and traded along the Little Colorado River 700 years ago.

Here are some interesting facts to know before you visit.

Ancient pottery all around

When you hike at Homolovi I, you’ll see thousands of pottery pieces covering the ground around you. These fragments date from 1260-1400 CE and come from different regions through trade.

In 1984, the Arizona State Museum started a ten-year project to document all these artifacts. Don’t even think about taking a piece home—rangers watch the trails closely to prevent theft.

What makes this place special is that everything stays exactly where it was found, letting you experience archaeology in its natural setting.

Wild Burros Still Roam Where Miners Left Them

You’ll often spot wild burros near the 1.2-mile Nasungvö Trail, especially in early morning or late afternoon. These animals are actually descendants of pack animals miners abandoned back in the 1800s.

They’ve adapted perfectly to living in the high desert at 4,900 feet. As you walk the sandy trail between the visitor center and campground, you might also see prairie dogs, porcupines, badgers, and jackrabbits sharing the grassland with these hardy burros.

A Backhoe Once Ripped Through Sacred Sites Here

Before the park existed, looters brought in a backhoe during the 1960s and tore through burial grounds and ceremonial spaces at Homolovi II.

This destruction was so shocking that in November 1980, Governor Bruce Babbitt formed the Archaeology Advisory Group to protect what remained.

Their work led to House Bill 2498 passing in 1986 with $890,000 to create the park.

Hopi People Got "Ruins" Removed From the Park’s Name

For 25 years, this place was known as “Homolovi Ruins State Park,” but the Hopi Tribe worked to change that.

On March 17, 2011, the Arizona Parks Board voted to drop the word “ruins” because Hopi people see these sites as spiritually alive—not abandoned or dead.

Mormon Children Are Buried in a Little-Known Cemetery

Inside the park, you’ll find a small cemetery most visitors never see. It holds the remains of Mormon settlers from the 1870s, many of them children.

The settlement, called Sunset, was started in 1876 by Lot Smith and had the first post office along the Little Colorado River.

Three of Smith’s own children are buried here. By 1888, constant flooding forced everyone to leave.

Golden Eagles Have Called the Twin Buttes Home for Centuries

If you look at the two distinctive buttes from Homolovi II, you might spot golden eagles that have nested there for generations.

Park records show these magnificent birds have lived here continuously since at least the 1980s.

Each breeding season, they switch between multiple nests built into the rocky crevices. You can walk the ½-mile Tsu’vo Trail (meaning “path of the rattlesnake” in Hopi) around these buttes for a chance to see the eagles that have watched over this landscape for hundreds of years.

You Can Stargaze Through a Professional Telescope Here

When night falls, you can visit the Winslow Homolovi Observatory and look through their impressive Celestron CGE Pro 14-inch telescope.

This high-tech equipment can show you 40,000 different celestial objects.

From April through November, they host monthly star parties with special viewing events throughout the year.

The telescope was donated by the Little Colorado River Valley Astronomy Club and local merchants. They even have special daytime telescopes for safely viewing the sun.

Ancient Residents Traded Goods From Hundreds of Miles Away

People who lived at Homolovi between 1260-1400 CE were serious traders. They grew cotton by the Little Colorado River and exchanged it for pottery with Hopi communities 84 kilometers north.

Archaeologists have found obsidian that came from hundreds of miles away, shells from the Pacific coast, and pottery styles from over 100 kilometers southeast.

The site’s location made it perfect for trade, helping maintain connections between different cultures across the Southwest.

More Ceremonial Chambers Exist Here Than Almost Anywhere Else

When you visit Homolovi II, you’re walking above approximately forty kivas—underground ceremonial rooms—which is unusually high for one settlement. One particularly large kiva measures nearly 20 by 33 feet.

Most similar pueblos have far fewer religious spaces. The site also has three large rectangular plazas for community ceremonies.

All these ritual areas suggest Homolovi was extremely important religiously, possibly a major pilgrimage destination beyond just being a trading center.

You Can See Work by Famous Hopi Artists in the Museum

The visitor center displays artwork by celebrated Hopi creators spanning almost 100 years. You’ll see pieces by Fannie Nampeyo, Charles Loloma, and Paqua Naha (known as “First Frog Woman”).

If you visit on May 2, 2025, you can watch current park ranger Gwen Setalla demonstrate traditional pottery techniques. The gift shop even sells mugs featuring her designs.

This creates a direct link between the ancient pottery fragments you see at the sites and living artists continuing those same traditions today.

People Moved In and Out of This Land Multiple Times

Archaeologists have discovered that Homolovi wasn’t just settled once. People lived here during three different periods: 620-850 CE, 1050-1225 CE, and 1260-1400 CE.

Different groups would move in when conditions were good, then leave during droughts or flooding. By the mid-1200s, nobody lived here at all until new families from the Hopi Mesas arrived.

Regular flooding of the Little Colorado River in the early 1200s drove earlier residents away. This pattern of repeated settlement and abandonment makes Homolovi unique among archaeological sites in the Southwest.

Settlers Took Apart Ancient Buildings for Their Own Homes

During the 1870s, Mormon settlers removed stones from the pueblo ruins to build their settlement of Sunset.

While this practice was common on the frontier, it destroyed important parts of the archaeological record forever.

Despite their efforts to establish farms, recurring floods along the Little Colorado River eventually defeated them. By 1888, they had completely abandoned their settlement.

Over 100 Bird Species Make This Park Their Home

Grab your binoculars when you visit—the park’s official bird list includes over 100 different species.

You’ll likely spot northern harrier hawks, golden eagles, American kestrels, horned larks, roadrunners, ravens, and burrowing owls in their natural habitat.

These burrowing owls are especially interesting since they nest inside abandoned prairie dog tunnels throughout the grasslands.

The park’s location along the Little Colorado River creates an important corridor for migrating birds, making it valuable for conservation beyond its archaeological significance.

Visiting Homolovi State Park

Homolovi State Park sits just over a mile north of I-40 at HCR 63, Box 5, Winslow, AZ 86047. More info:

• Open every day except Christmas from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Construction scheduled July-September 2025 with temporary facilities
• For same-day camping, call 928-289-4106 before 4:45 p.m.
• Water unavailable at campsites from November 15 to March 14