This is undoubtedly the best way to see the park. But for those who would rather feel the park, a little more time out of the car is necessary. Fortunately, there is an option for those like myself.

Eight times a year, the National Park Service offers an overnight trip to Crack-in-the-Rock Pueblo, a 700-year-old outpost in the heart of Wupatki's backcountry.

Because of Wupatki's vast archaeological resources, the Park Service has enacted vigorous measures to safeguard against pot-hunting, vandalism and site impact. This means that the Crack-in-the-Rock hike is your only chance to see the park's features away from the pavement.

Offered during the weekends of April and October, the hike is limited to 14 people and requires reservations. In addition, a $30 fee is charged by the Park Service.

I arrived at the Wupatki visitor center on a recent October morning hoping the $30 would be worth it. That's more than I would normally be willing to pay to backpack. But the fee goes directly toward the program to help pay the rangers who guide the hikes. I also think of the fee as a cheap education in Wupatki's natural and cultural history.

According to archaeologists, the majority of architecture and rock art seen today at Wupatki was created between 1100 A.D. and around 1300.

Following the eruption of nearby Sunset Crater in 1064, Wupatki became a place to settle and raise families for a large population. Among the Southwest's archaeological parks, Wupatki is unique because it contains evidence from three distinct ancestral Puebloan cultures -- the Cohonina, the Sinagua and the Anasazi.

During the short drive to the trailhead, I found myself wondering about this. What was it that made people believe this largely waterless land could sustain large groups of people?

The Little Colorado does run a few miles down the valley, but that's a long walk for water. Or maybe this was just my 21st-century thinking at work. Being raised in the automobile culture makes even a few miles seem like a long ways on foot.

After a brief talk from our guide, NPS ranger Rex Vanderford, we were off.

Crack-in-the-Rock sits 7 miles from the trailhead and there are no established trails. Impact from hikers is kept down by walking mostly through washes and around vegetation where possible. We stopped at numerous pueblos along the way to inspect pottery pieces and to listen to Vanderford's interpretations.

The day began to grow warm and, although the hike is not difficult, we began feeling the weight of our packs. Our packs may have been heavier than normal because there is no water along the trail. Each of us had to carry enough for two days. But this was instructive. We could feel what the casual Wupatki visitor couldn't -- the preciousness of water carried on your own back.

After about five hours on the trail, we made it to the camping area and were finally able to lay our burdens down. The rest of the day was left to explore Crack-in-the-Rock Pueblo and the nearby rock art.

From below, Crack-in-the-Rock gives the appearance of a formidable red-walled castle. Built upon a small mesa of red Moenkopi sandstone, access to the site is gained by ascending a very tight crack in the side of the mesa. Petroglyphs marked the entrance as we entered one by one. Crawling up through the slit, it was hard not to notice how easy it would have been to shut off access to unwanted visitors.

Emerging up top though a T-shaped doorway, we had entered another world.

Crack-in-the-Rock Pueblo feels like a floating island in a sea of red desert. Colored rock and sand stretch for miles off to the north and east, while the south offers fine views of the volcanic field near the San Francisco Peaks. Silence and the sound of the wind seem to wrap around the pueblo's walls and doorways.

"Hopefully, by viewing the past," Vanderford says, "we can learn and pass on the cooperation and communication these people had, working towards a common goal. Many people see signs of warfare in places like this. But what I hope is that instead of warfare, visitors take away the fact that people were cooperating and helping each other survive."

Visitor information

Web: http://www.nps.gov/wupa/

E-mail: FLAG_-_Wupatki@nps.gov