Summer Solstice

Aztec Ruins National Monument will be hosting their summer solstice sunrise observation on June 20, 2025. Visitors will be able to observe the sun rising in alignment with the north wall of the Aztec West great house just before 6:00 am. After this, visitors will be invited to enter the great kiva to observe a shaft of sunlight shine through a doorway on the east side of the kiva as it travels across the west wall and aligns directly with a niche in the wall. Park staff will open the park entrance gate at 5:30 am. Visitors should park in the visitor center parking lot, and staff will direct them into the site. The park grounds will remain open after the event. There is no entry fee for Aztec Ruins National Monument.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park will host a viewing of the sunrise alignment at Casa Rinconada on June 21, 2025, for the first 100 participants. The gates will open at 5:15 am and visitors should arrive early to catch the 5:55 am sunrise. As the sun rises just before 6:00 am, it will shine directly through a window on the northeast side of the kiva, illuminating a niche in the opposite wall shortly after sunrise. The Chacoans were keen observers of the sky and created architectural alignments like the east-west/north-south alignment of Casa Rinconada to document specific solar events.

Check back soon for additional program and event information!