Petroglyph National Monument
located on the Western Edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico
is one of the largest is one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in North America.
It encompasses 7,236 acres!. It includes dormant volcanoes, hundreds of archeological sites
and an estimated 24,000 petroglyphs!
The three areas that visitors can access the petroglyps
are in Boca Negra Canyon,
Rinconada Canyon, and Piedras Marcadas Canyon.
As of Jan 2021, the visitor center is closed
with information packets that are available for pickup and only the gift shop is open
There are no petroglyphs for viewing at the visitor center.
OK guys, there are three separate hiking areas for the petroglyph national monument
and this one we are on right now is the Rinconada Trail
It's a 2.2 mile loop
1.1 miles to the very back
The North side of the trail is where most of the petroglyphs are located.
There's a nice sitting area in the very back
and then it loops back around
There are vault toilets at the parking lot
and it's right off the main road of Unser just South of Montano
Rinconada Canyon is the location that is closest to the visitor center, just 1.4 miles to the South.
This area is a 2.2 mile loop trail.
Dogs are allowed.
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They ask that you stay on the trail
They are restoring the area outside the trail.
So on this trail there is supposed to be something in the neighborhood of 400 petroglyphs
along these canyon walls behind me
So we are going to take a walk around this trail and see what we can see.
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The gates close in this area at 5pm
This is the beginning of the loop.
so you start to the right
and you come back the other way
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It's December in Albuquerque and on a nice December day you can get temperatures in the 50's like we are having today.
Don't be fooled though, it can get really cold in Albuquerque in the winter
but you can expect bright blue skies
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So I was reading about this area before I came
and it was talking about how
many of the petroglyphs have spiritual significance
it's not like... they are not hieroglyphics,
where they just represent words.
but, you don't always know exactly what it was they were representing,
but they said to respect the culture
of the pueblo people, a lot of their ancestors still live around here
and they still consider this a sacred place
so it asks that you don't actually take any pictures of any petroglyphs that represent
the human form.
so we are going to respect that today
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So if you start this trail and you get disappointed that you can't find enough petroglyphs
don't worry, way deep in the back, where the rocks get really close to the trail
there are plenty of petroglyphs that you can see
without binoculars
After you go down a couple of steps there, then you will start to see the rocks really close to the trail
They ask you do not touch the petroglyphs, the oils from your hands can ruin it
and the sensitive layers down below
so in this area there are several petroglyphs, but
unfortunately, they do depict the human form, so I'm not going to film them.
but there are lots of neat carvings on these rocks that you can take a look at
and have you ever seen such bright blue skies, Albuquerque is known for their clear blue skies.
unfortunately, there are some that are not quite historical, but still, 1919?
my goodness. It's a good thing we preserve this area.
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Next up, we are heading to Boca Negra Canyon
This canyon is located 3 miles North of the Visitors Center
This is the one area in the Petroglyph National Monument that does charge a parking fee.
$1 on weekdays, $2 on weekends
Dogs are not allowed on the trails at Boca Negra Canyon
This is a great place if you have young kids or are short on time
So right away, you can see the petroglyphs
This is Mesa Point Trail and it goes up 1000'.
If that's too steep for you, just cross the bridge and there are a few petroglyphs, right here as soon as you start.
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So while this path is steep, it is paved
and there are handrails in a few key places, so that helps.
When you turn into Boca Negra Canyon this is the first parking lot to Mesa Point Trail
and you'll see the big hill
and you can see the people climbing up to the top.
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So I just finished the Mesa Point Trail, I'm continuing down the road at Boca Negra Canyon
to see what the next hike is. Going up the mountain
is quite steep.
it's a little rough on the knees
it was crowded, and unfortunately there was a lot of traffic noise
from the neighborhood below
so those are the only things that make it not my favorite spot
but it is really neat, especially neat for young kids
they are going to absolutely love it
At the second stop at Boca Negra Canyon there's a restroom there's also a
handicap area under the shade where you can.
use binoculars to view the petroglyphs up on the hill
there's two trails
The Base Cliff trail, and the Macaw trail.
The Macaw trail is a super short little loop
and the Base Cliff trail is a little bit longer, still pretty short
and has some very cool petroglyphs and very large rocks on that little trail
so I suggest you stop and take a look
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This is really interesting, there's this rock, and it has these
lines, very distinct lines in them
They said that the basalt would actually trap gas bubbles
and then as the lava cooled, it would release these gas bubbles
and it happened in very distinct layers
not too many rocks have that pattern, it's pretty interesting
I also can't get over the large amount of
huge boulders in this area
it's really neat, and there's some really cool, clear, petroglyphs
right here on this trail, and it's pretty short
so if you're short on time, this would be a great place to come and visit
ok, so this has been the cliff base trail
and as you can see, we walk along, the base of the cliff
and I've enjoyed it. It's short.
there's some really cool petroglyphs
there's some huge enormous rocks
and it's quieted down. There's nobody here, but me
and I really like that!
it's quiet, I think everybody stops at the first big hill to climb up
and I don't think they take the time to stop at the next two stops
I know I was guilty of that when I came with my kids several years ago, so
it's worth it
ok, so I tested the restrooms, they're clean, they're warm, they have running water
and there is more than one stall, so
that's good
OK, so that's a wrap of your tour of Petroglyph National Monument
I'd say out of all three hiking areas
The Piedras Marcadas is probably my favorite. [next week]
it's the one that is tucked away in a neighborhood
you have a lot more space to yourself
and you can get some really cool close up views of the petroglyphs
if you're short on time, I would come and visit Boca Negra Canyon
If you'd like a longer trail maybe for walking your dog, or getting a run in
I would visit the Rinconada Canyon
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