Long before Sedona was a town, people built homes into the alcoves of its red cliffs. At Palatki and Honanki, northwest of town, the walls they raised are still standing, beside painted and pecked images on the rock. These are places to visit slowly and quietly.
What you'll see
The Forest Service calls Honanki and its sister site Palatki the largest cliff dwellings of the Red Rock country between AD 1150 and 1350. It identifies the Sinagua who lived at Honanki as ancestors of the Hopi. At Palatki, the rock images show the area was used by several cultures over thousands of years.
How to visit
- Palatki is visited by guided tour, limited to 14 people at a time. You need a timed reservation from Recreation.gov plus a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful pass. The tour stops at the cliff dwellings and the rock image site, and the trail to the dwellings includes 60 uneven, strenuous steps.
- Honanki is on a road the Forest Service says is generally passable to cars when dry but rough and rocky in places. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended. It's open 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. and closes when it's over 100°F or the roads are impassable.
- Hours are seasonal at both sites. Check the official pages before you drive out.
These are places to visit slowly and quietly.
Visiting with respect
The Forest Service asks Palatki visitors to read its archaeological site etiquette guide before arriving. The basics: stay on the paths, and never touch the rock art, because oils from skin damage it. Don't climb on walls or move anything, and keep your voice low. Damaging or removing archaeological resources is against federal law.
Plan it
- Scenic & cultural sites, with official links for Palatki, Honanki and Crane Petroglyph
- Three days of culture & scenery, with the drive times between sites
- Parking passes & reservations
- See the best Sedona tours: guided hikes, scenic drives and Grand Canyon day trips
Sources: Coconino National Forest Palatki and Honanki heritage site pages (Palatki page updated Oct 13, 2026) and Recreation.gov, checked Oct 20, 2026. Photo: Roman Tokman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Montezuma Castle, a related Sinagua site).
