Other contemporary habitations of the Sinagua people are preserved in the nearby Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle national monuments.

Because of the area's dry climate, the water present in the canyon was essential for its inhabitants over 700 years ago as it is for animal and plant life today.

Walnut Canyon was proclaimed a national monument on November 30, 1915, by President Woodrow Wilson to preserve the ancient cliff dwellings.

[3] Walnut Canyon lies on the Colorado Plateau and cuts through the Permian Kaibab Limestone, which exposes the Toroweap Formation and Coconino Sandstone.

The sunny, south facing slopes have agaves and several species of cactus including opuntia, echinocereus and cholla.

The rocks in the canyon walls are formed of three distinct layers – the upper third of Walnut Canyon's walls contain Kaibab Limestone that varies in layers and hardness, where the cliff dwellings are found, which overlies steep, scrub covered slopes of the Toroweap Formation, while the lowest third is the sheer-walled, cross-bedded Coconino Sandstone.

Even though the climate was and still is somewhat harsh, the Sinagua Indians that lived there were able to harvest maize, beans and squash.

Park entrance road, trails, and Visitor Center are open all year, except December 25.

Many of the ancient dwellings were built around a U-shaped meander in the canyon, where the creek circles around three sides of a high rocky plateau, almost creating an 'island', and this region now forms the central attraction of the national monument.

Other dwellings of the Sinagua people can be found in the nearby Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle monuments.