Flagstaff · US-180 · Natural and cultural history museum
Museum of Northern Arizona
Meet the people, art and ancient landscapes of the Colorado Plateau in a 1936 lava-rock museum at the foot of the San Francisco Peaks, just north of downtown Flagstaff on the road to the Grand Canyon.
Opens the museum’s online ticket page. Online purchases are final, and tickets must be redeemed by 4 pm on the day of your visit.
Details checked October 2026
Type
History & culture museum
Plus a half-mile nature trail, open dawn to dusk
Admission
$13–$18 admission
Kids 9 and under free. N. Arizona residents $10 Sundays.
Hours
Daily 10–5
Last entry 4 pm. Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 24–25.
Time needed
1–2 hours
Typical visit, per Tripadvisor; add time for the trail
Parking
On-site lot
No posted RV size limits; call ahead
Collections
5 million+
Artifacts, specimens and artworks in the collections
What you’ll see
The Colorado Plateau under one roof
MNA tells the story of the Colorado Plateau through Native art and culture, archaeology, fossils and geology, with a half-mile canyon trail just outside the door.
Photo: Thomas Farley on Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Start here
Native Peoples of the Colorado Plateau
The museum’s permanent ethnology gallery opened in April 2018 and was developed with 42 tribal consultants. It shares the histories and values of ten Colorado Plateau tribes, among them the Diné (Navajo), Hopi, Zuni, Havasupai and Hualapai, in their own words, with more than 350 objects ranging from weavings, pottery and silverwork to a skateboard.
RV tip: buy tickets online and arrive well before the 4 pm last entry. Traveling with friends? Private guided tours start at $23 per person for groups of up to 10.
More to see
- Artist Hopid UnveiledWork by Artist Hopid, a Hopi collective formed in 1973, in the Courtyard Gallery. The current installation, Ancestral Echoes, runs through December 6, 2026, and Enduring Images follows from December 11 to April 30, 2027.
- Wagon Road to Mother RoadA Route 66 centennial exhibit with a 1931 Ford Model A pickup, a hand-painted Route 66 map and a mid-century Phillips 66 gas pump, on view through January 31, 2027.
- Footprints of the PastFossil trackways about 240 million years old, including one spotted in November 2020 at a construction site a couple of miles down the road from the museum.
- Call of the Colorado PlateauPaintings by Gunnar Widforss, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton and others, with objects from explorers Harvey Butchart and Everett Ruess, through January 3, 2027.
Why go
Flagstaff’s gateway to the Colorado Plateau
A group of Flagstaff citizens founded the Museum of Northern Arizona in 1928 to protect and preserve the region’s natural and cultural heritage. Its exhibit building, built during the Depression from local malpais (lava rock) and opened in the spring of 1936, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, and the museum’s collections were identified as a National Treasure in 2007.
For RVers it is an easy stop. The museum sits right on US-180, Fort Valley Road, which is the San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road and a main route to the Grand Canyon, so it fits neatly into a Grand Canyon day. If you can, leave the big rig at camp and come in the tow vehicle.
Plan around what’s on. The Route 66 centennial exhibit Wagon Road to Mother Road runs through January 31, 2027, and the Artist Hopid Unveiled installations change in September and December. Admission is free on December 5 and 6, 2026, during the Winter Market and Open House.
Photo: NancyLucy on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why it made our list
- Founded in 1928, on a 200-acre campus
- More than five million objects and specimens in its collections
- A Native peoples gallery shaped by 42 tribal consultants
- A half-mile nature trail, open dawn to dusk
- Kids 9 and under get in free
For RVers
Bringing the rig to MNA
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Plan the drive on US-180
The museum sits right on US-180 (Fort Valley Road), and the highway splits the campus: the exhibit building is on the south side, with research and collection buildings to the north. MNA does not publish size limits for RVs or trailers in its parking area, so if you drive a big rig, call (928) 774-5213 before you go, or leave the rig at camp and come in your tow vehicle.
Grab a trail map out front
The half-mile Rio de Flag Nature Trail follows a shallow canyon cut through an old lava flow, and maps are at the trailhead sign near the front of the museum. Brought bikes? The Flagstaff Urban Trail System leads from the west end of the museum parking area.
Pets and service animals
MNA follows ADA rules for service dogs, which must be trained to assist a person with a disability; emotional support animals are not permitted in the museum. The museum doesn’t post pet rules for its trails, so ask at the front desk, and on warm days leave pets at camp rather than in a parked rig.
Leave the rig, take the bus
Mountain Line’s Route 5 bus serves the museum at stops 13 and 20, so if your park is near a stop you can skip the parking question entirely. Tickets are also sold at the museum until one hour before closing.
What visitors say about Museum of Northern Arizona
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 4, 2026.
A gateway to understanding the Colorado Plateau.
Museum of Northern Arizona, describing its mission · musnaz.org
What visitors often mention
Recurring topics in Google’s review highlights
ArtifactsPotteryDinosaursNative American culture
Google’s review topics point to artifacts (61 reviews), pottery (45), dinosaurs (36) and Native American culture (24). Checked October 4, 2026.
Admission at a glance
General admission prices from MNA’s Plan Your Visit page, checked October 4, 2026. Museum members get in free.
Good to know
General admission$18 adults
Seniors 65 and up$16 per person
Youth 10–17$13 Native Americans also $13
Free admissionKids 9 and underSNAP EBT + photo IDDec 5–6, 2026
Prices from MNA’s Plan Your Visit and Special Offers pages, checked October 4, 2026. Northern Arizona residents (Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo and Apache counties) pay $10 on Sundays through 2026. Online ticket purchases are final.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Museum of Northern Arizona
- Address3101 N. Fort Valley Rd., Flagstaff, AZ 86001
- HoursDaily 10–5
Last entry 4 pm. Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 24–25. - Phone(928) 774-5213
- TicketsBuy online or at the museum
- Getting thereFrom downtown Flagstaff, head north on US-180 (Fort Valley Road), the route toward the Grand Canyon, to the museum at 3101 N. Fort Valley Road. Mountain Line Route 5 stops at the museum too.
- ParkingUse the museum’s parking area off US-180. No RV size limits are posted, so call ahead with a big rig.
Hours and prices can change. Check MNA’s Plan Your Visit page before you go; the museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and December 24 and 25.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Museum of Northern Arizona
These are the Flagstaff parks we have visited and written up, closest first. The museum sits on US-180 just north of downtown, so each is under 20 minutes away.
Woody Mountain Campground
Seasonal, shady sites under the pines on West Route 66, on Flagstaff’s quiet west side.
Black Bart’s RV Park
Full-hookup and pull-thru sites a quarter mile off I-40 Exit 198 on Flagstaff’s east side, next door to Black Bart’s Steakhouse.
Flagstaff KOA Holiday
Open year-round at the foot of Mount Elden, with 50-amp pull-thrus, cabins and trails from camp.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Daily 10 am–5 pm · Last entry 4 pm
Ready to explore the Colorado Plateau?
Buy tickets online, give yourself a couple of hours in the galleries, and save time for the half-mile Rio de Flag trail.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Nathan Strait (museum facade, Rio de Flag trail and courtyard; CC BY-SA 4.0), NancyLucy (exhibition building and the San Francisco Peaks, Why go; CC BY-SA 4.0), Jllm06 (ceramic vessels; CC BY-SA 3.0) and Thomas Farley (gallery interior; CC0); the images were resized. Video: AZPM on YouTube (museum tour, produced by David Fenster and filmed and edited by Nathan Huffman). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Museum of Northern Arizona unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the museum’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the museum and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Museum of Northern Arizona at musnaz.org or (928) 774-5213. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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