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Visiting the Parks: Petroglyph National Monument

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 17, 2008 - 3:16am

Visit Petroglyph National Monument and you'll come upon not only thousands of petroglyphs left by ancient civilizations but also extinct volcanoes, such as this one. NPS photo by Terry Balone.

Too often a unit of the National Park System is overlooked because its name doesn't end in "National Park." Petroglyph National Monument is one such place.

Located in New Mexico not far from Albuquerque, the monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including extinct volcanoes, archaeological sites, and an estimated 20,000 carved images. A visit could include a hike to the top of some of the volcano remnants.

For a primer on the park, check out this four-minute video produced by the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Comments

Submitted by Donna Hull (not verified) on August 17, 2008 - 7:31am.

Thanks for introducing me to Petroglyph National Monument. I didn't know about this one. El Morro National Monument near Grants, NM is another area of petroplyphs and historical graffiti that is fun to explore.

Submitted by Ted Clayton on August 17, 2008 - 11:47am.

There is a nice NPS map of Petroglyph Nat'l Monument on the University of New Mexico website; go there to see a larger version. The page also mentions Native-related issues pertaining to the monument.

Submitted by MRC (not verified) on August 17, 2008 - 12:15pm.

Wikipedia has the original map in full size at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/PETR_map1.jpg - on the NPS web site there is only an edited version with lower contrast: http://www.nps.gov/petr/planyourvisit/images/brochuremap_1.jpg

Submitted by Amarillobymorning on May 18, 2013 - 1:34pm.

Visited here last month. Well worth seeing, especially if you can't hike major distances. Many petroglyphs are very accessible, especially Boca Negra Canyon.