Hiking at Petroglyph National Monument, 4/21/2018

The Petroglyph National Monument is located west of Albuquerque (about 55 miles from where we are staying in Santa Fe). 

Native plants are in a garden on both sides of the walkway to the Visitor Center. The cholla will be blooming soon.

Over 24,000 petroglyphs have been found in the 17-mile long stretch of land that encompasses the Petroglyph National Monument (established in 1990). You must drive from the Visitor Center to the trailheads of the three, self-guided, trails where petroglyphs can be found. Another trail winds through the Volcanoes area of the park (we did not go there). Below is a map of the park.

We decided to hike two of the trails starting at Rinconada Canyon (2.2 mile round trip). Leashed dogs are permitted on this (and the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail). The trailhead is south of the Visitor Center. It follows the base of the escarpment. 

The petroglyphs have been pecked into the basalt boulders on east and south facing slopes. The West Mesa emerged about 200,000 years ago when lava flowed from a crack in the earth’s crust. This and similar areas are considered sacred by Native Americans. And some believe this is why there is such a dense concentration of petroglyphs here. The nearest pueblos were two miles from the Rinconada Canyon. 

At first, we just saw a bunch of rocks on the hills, but as you look more closely the petroglyphs soon become visible. Native American legend says the images will reveal themselves to you in their own time.

The trail continues through sandy terrain. Spanish settlers also made their mark on the rocks here in the early 1900s. 

Some of the petroglyphs are 2,000 to 3,000 years old, but most are 400 to 700 years old. We spent a couple of hours here looking for images...it was like a scavenger hunt and lots of fun! 

We had our picnic lunch and then drove to Piedras Marcadas Canyon, north of the Visitor Center. The unpaved trail there is 1.5 miles. Be sure to take plenty of water, even hiking short distances, in this arid landscape!!

This portion of the national monument is near a suburban neighborhood of Albuquerque, but the parking area and trail head are well marked. 

Similar to the Rincondada Canyon Trail, the petroglyphs are on basalt rocks along the escarpment. The Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail has an estimated 5,000 of the monument’s 24,000+ petroglyphs. 

Needless to say, we loved this place! The photos here are a tiny sampling of the cool images you will see here. We have seen petroglyphs in several other parts of the country, but the sheer quantity of the ones found here is amazing. This is a very easy National Monument to access if you are in the Albuquerque area. For additional information about Petroglyph National Monument, go to www.mps.gov/petr.