STAKE NO. 1.
General view of canyon. From this point you will observe that the canyon makes a large “horse shoe” bend leaving an “Island” connected to this side by the narrow neck of land we call the “Saddle.” It is in this small section of the canyon that there is the heaviest concentration of prehistoric cliff-dwellings.
From here you are able to discern the distinctly different types of vegetation growing on opposite sides of the canyon. On the north side (or southern exposure) we see many of the desert type plants native to southern Arizona. On the other side we have the types common in the higher and colder elevations.
Walnut Creek, the stream which cut the canyon, was dammed in 1904 to form Lake Mary which supplies the city of Flagstaff; otherwise there would be a running stream in the canyon today. The early Pueblo Indians probably picked the canyon for their homes for this reason.
They farmed the mesa tops. The natural caves formed by erosion furnished ideal roofs, as well as protection from enemies and comparatively easy access to domestic water supply.
You will now take the trail, to your left, which will lead you to the next stake at the “Saddle.” The trail is steep and there are several flights of stone steps. It is quite safe, but we urge you to use care in your descent.
STAKE NO. 2.
Looking down canyon (to your left) is a graphic view of the geological formations exposed in Walnut Canyon. On the [next page] of this guide leaflet are sketches showing “How the Canyon was Formed.”
No. 1. Millions of years ago this area was a vast flood plain near sea level. Shifting sands were formed into dunes by wind causing cross bedding or lamination. It is these sands that form the Toroweap Formation which is the oldest exposed in the canyon and is the whorled and cross-bedded sandstone which rises from the Canyon floor.
No. 2. Later this flood plain was submerged, and for millions of years was at the floor of a large, shallow body of water called “The Permian Sea.” Calcium carbonate was precipitated to the floor of the sea. Small sea animals were trapped or covered by this ooze or mire which later compacted into stone and forms the Kaibab Limestone which forms the rim of the canyon, and rests directly on the Toroweap. Many marine fossils are found in this formation.