Petroglyph National Monument, Albuquerque

It was cool view and it was really hot, but that’s New Mexico especially in the summer. National park service worker was really helpful with guiding my boyfriend and I to the monuments. Only went to one that was closest to the visitor center. It was an easy hike up but at the top it’s a bit steep. It was cool to see them and get a glimpse of history. I would recommend this monument!

When you arrive at the visitors center, you are given a map and a video is showing to give you background on the locations. There are three locations; all a few miles drive from the visitors center. We chose the first canyon due to time constraints. It was the most strenuous of the three according to the brochures. And a $1 parking fee. We climbed our way to the top on rugged paths. Not for flip flops for sure. Gravel paths with steep inclines, steps, and some places you have to step over large rocks. But worth the view at the top and the amazing petroglyphs along the way! We spent about 2 hours and only saw a fraction of the vast canyon. Definitely recommend!

Very nice trail to go for a hike/walk. However, there are no trees thus no shade (besides a couple of shade structures), so plan accordingly. Initial leg of the trail is pretty smooth gravel trail (probably wheelchair accessible), but later parts (including going up the volcano) has some rough spots, nothing terrible, but watch your footing.

Definitely a must see. Plan on spending at least 2 hours here. They have several areas with easy to difficult trails. There are thousands of petroglyphs carved into basalt rocks on these trails and wonderful views from the top. We visited late March and it was already fairly warm so I highly recommend sunblock, comfortable closed toe shoes and a bottle of water.

Visitors center was just a booth. The worker at the gift shop was making sure to follow CDC guidelines to keep a small enough number of people inside. Toilet vaults were less than ideal. Wonderful experience overall though!