A landscape’s dramatic features can overwhelm first-time visitors. But sometimes the places that exist on a more human scale can have a greater impact. In his latest Canyon Commentary, author Scott Thybony tells how this happened to novelist Willa Cather in an area of Walnut Canyon that’s now closed to the public. After securing hard-won permits, Thybony retraced Cather’s steps on the ancient Water Trail with the archeologists who rediscovered it.

In 1912 novelist Willa Cather spent three days exploring Walnut Canyon near Flagstaff. She called it “a cleft in the heart of the world,” and the experience became a turning point in her life.

Her work in New York City as a highly successful magazine editor had gone stale. After taking a leave of absence, she stepped off a train in Winslow, Ari

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