"Chaco Culture National Historical Park preserves one of America's most significant and fascinating cultural and historic areas. Chaco Canyon was a major center of ancestral Puebloan culture between AD 850 and 1250. It was a hub of ceremony, trade, and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area - unlike anything before or since."

Self-guided hikes and bus/car tours are available. Group camping is also an option for school groups. Curriculum materials can be downloaded and are suggested for use before your visit.

The Tonto National Monument is the site of cliff dwellings that were occupied during the 13-15th centuries. After these prehistoric peoples vacated the valley, the valley was home to other native peoples and eventually Spanish colonists. Today, the cliff dwellings are open to visitors year round. The national monument is also home to a visitor center which offers exhibits and interpretive activities.

The national monument offers field trip programs, ranger-led tours, self-guided tours, exhibits, and special events. The website offers a history of the site, curriculum guides and materials for teachers, and visitor information. In order to contact the monument via email, use the "contact us" link located at the left side of the webpage.

The 20,000-acre Cumberland Gap National Historical Park preserves the site of the original "gateway to the west" used by settlers and pioneers. Native American populations had used this gap to cross the mountains for centuries prior to the arrival of European Americans. However, Daniel Boone (1734-1820) opened the Wilderness Road through Cumberland Gap to these settlers in 1775. Sites of historical note include a historical iron furnace, the 1904 Hensley Settlement, and fortifications dating to the Civil War.

The park offers two introductory films, interactive exhibits, an educational activity area for children, Appalachian craft demonstrations, two-hour cave tours, three-and-a-half- or four-hour settlement tours, Junior Ranger activities, and picnic sites. Please note that if you are interested in the cave tour, the National Park Service requests that you do not wear clothing that you have worn to another cave. This is an effort to avoid spreading White-Nose Syndrome, a condition which has caused the death of countless bats. Even if you personally fear or dislike these creatures, please remember that they are an important part of their (and our) ecosystems.

The Bandelier National Monument site contains dwellings and petroglyphs from the Ancestral Pueblo who lived in the area between 1150 and 1550. Spanish colonists inhabited the site beginning circa 1750. The 1.2-mile main trail winds through excavated archaeological sites. Visitor Center exhibits address Ancestral Pueblo life and compare it to the life of the modern Pueblo.

The monument offers a 10-minute introductory film, exhibits, guided walks, demonstrations, summer camps, a traveling trunk, books and videos for loan to educators, educational kits for use on site by fifth grade students, Junior Ranger activities, more than 70 miles of trails, outdoor activities, and a picnic area. Demonstrations occur on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Written guides to the main trail are available in Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Russian, Braille, and large print. Wheelchair accessibility is limited. The website offers lesson plans, animal fact sheets, and PowerPoint presentations.

The Navajo National Monument preserves three Navajo cliff dwellings. The cliff dwellings are open to the public year round, and showcase Navajo life prior to European settlement. The monument is also home to a visitor center and museum of Navajo life.

The monument offers ranger-led tours of the cliff dwellings, guided tours of the museum, and exhibits and presentations in the museum and visitor center. The website offers visitor information and historical information regarding the monument. In order to contact the monument via email, use the "contact us" link located on the left side of the webpage.

The Mesa Verde National Park contains more than 4,000 archaeological sites and cliff dwellings. The area served as home for the Ancestral Pueblo people between 600 and 1300, and now interprets their life and history. Within the park, visitors can find a visitor center, museum, five publicly accessible cliff dwellings, and a kiva site.

The park offers a 25-minute introductory film, exhibits, self-guided tours, guided tours, a 90-minute curriculum-based tour of one of the dwellings, one-hour evening talks, lectures, half-day guided bus tours, Junior Ranger activities, hiking trails, outdoor activities, restaurants, and a cafe. Offerings vary widely by season. Please read the website's "Operating Hours and Seasons" section to verify that your areas of interest will be open to the public at the time you wish to visit. The site wishes to note that all cliff dwelling tours are strenuous. The website offers pre-visit, post-visit, and on site activities.

The 2,526-acre Effigy Mounds National Monument site preserves 206 mounds erected by Native Americans at least one millennium ago. Thirty-one of these mounds take the shape of birds and bears. They are believed to be memorials to specific individuals, created after a death; many of the mounds also serve as grave sites. Exhibits display ancient Native American artifacts.

The monument offers a 15-minute introductory film, exhibits, museum tours, a children's tactile exhibit area, self-guided hikes, guided walks, guided hikes, talks, children's activities, Junior Ranger activities, atlatl demonstrations, and teacher workshops. There are wheelchair-accessible trails, although options are limited. The website offers a teacher's guide.

The Petroglyph National Monument preserves approximately 20,000 carved images, dating between circa 10,000 BC and 1830. Artists include the Ancestral Pueblo, Native Americans in the 16th through 19th centuries, and Spanish settlers. The Las Imágenes Visitor Center was once home to Dr. Sophie Aberle, the first applied anthropologist in the U.S.; and offers visitors the opportunity to touch carvings much like the petroglyphs.

The monument offers six hiking trails, lectures, performances, four 90-minute to two-hour guided educational programs for students, one-hour school outreach programs, and Junior Ranger activities. All on site educational programs involve hiking. The website offers a list of useful definitions, a pronunciation guide, nine curriculum-based lesson plans, and Web Ranger activities.