Petroglyph National Monument Reviews

I had an opportunity to go see the petroglyphs after work today. If you are ever in Albuquerque, NM, I recommend making this a priority stop. I took an easy loop trail: Piedras Marcadas Canyon Petroglyph View Trail. It’s free, easily accessible and covered with light sand.

The petroglyph viewing includes about 400 petroglyphs on a 1.5 mile trail, but you can make it a shorter hike if needed. These petroglyphs are between 400 and 700 years old and are worth viewing.

One note: I went in late afternoon and the sun was in my eyes, impeding some viewing and photography. I recommend a morning or midday hike for better viewing. Bring water.

This national park is located just outside albuquerque. We first went to the visitor center where we got an orientation from the ranger. My son got his junior ranger badge. There are maps and trail info. The trails close at 4:30. Some are open late. The visitor center has no trails. We went to the one further down where we did a 30 min climb over rocks and stones. We saw some cool petroglyphs. The next one we did was Piedras Marcadas Canyon 1.5 mile trail. The trails are well marked. We saw several petroglyph. It can get really hot, be prepared hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and water. We enjoyed the landscape.

It's strange to think of a national monument where you walk right behind someone's house. There are a number of good petroglyphs to view on the walk.

My partner and I hiked the Boca Negra Canyon trail and it was so beautiful!! This is a great trail for someone with a time crunch. There is climbing involved with steep stairs, but the views are worth it and the history and culture is all over. The guides were amazing, knowledgeable, and very helpful. I highly recommend checking this out!

The trail we took was not difficult at all in July at high noon. Just wished we could have gotten a bit closer to the petroglyphs, since many were indistinct and far away. Or, the park should have some sort of signage to say, "Look here". So, of the 400 petroglyphs we were to see, we only found about 100. But it was great when we did see them!

We walked the Rinconada Trail. Bring binoculars or telephoto lens for your camera. Get a trail guide at the visitor's center. Bring water. The trail is easy. The flowers are beautiful against the brush and desert-like plain.

I will start by saying that getting there was a little confusing. If you set your GPS, you will end up at the Visitor’s Center. You will then be redirected to one of the sites where the actual petroglyphs are. I chose to go to Rinconada about a 4 minute drive away. It is a sandy trail and the landscape is very desert like. The trail is only a little over 2 miles but there is no shade so if you can, go early and take water. Another thing to consider (I never thought about) is wildlife. Someone told me they saw a rattlesnake (I never saw one) but I would definitely recommend closed toed shoes and to pay attention to your surroundings. All of that being said, I am very glad I went. There were awesome petroglyphs to see and some signs verifying that certain drawings were genuine. Also, other visitors were so nice, pointing out what they saw to others. Definitely a memorable trip

The Petroglyphs are interesting and you get so close to so many pictures. It's a fun hike and the short film at the ranger station made it more interesting.

Great walk on the Rinconada trail..go early it's hot! Very interesting petroglyphs start about 3/4 of a mile in, easy walking trail.

I used to visit this site for target shooting in the 50's and 60's when there was nothing there but the lava escarpment and petroglyphs.
I knew nothing about the history or the petroglyphs.
This visit was with grown children and a visiting adult cousin. The Visitor's Center was great, with a lot of information, clean restrooms, helpful staff and a Great Film that explains the history and reason so many petroglyphs were left here.
People of all ages were visiting.

All four of us thoroughly enjoyed seeing this wonderful area and hiking to see the Indian Petroglyph. What beautiful sites to see. We took lots of pictures. Bring your hiking shoes and hiking sticks are very helpful navigating the terrain. The different sites are just short drive between each of them. I recommend going to the visitor center and watching the short video. Have fun, we did!

You need to visit the visitor center first, but the center has little to offer except directions to the three sites. Video at the center is outside and hard to see. The sites are interesting and worth a short stop.

Really cool. We did the Piedras Marcadas trail. Lots of petroglyphs to see and a nice hiking trail. Be prepared. The parking is in a neighborhood. So you are on the right track even though it doesn’t seem like it.

I visited 2 of the 3 sites and the visitor center during my vacation in New Mexico. The Boca Negra Canyon trail is the most popular. The ranger recommended the Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail over Boca Negra, stating you could see many more petroglyphs (thousands he said). This was really over-rated, the Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail is really really long, relatively flat, shade-less hike in the relentless sun, and you can't really see many petroglyphs unless you get really close to the rocks, which is really hard to do at most points along the trail. Make sure you take plenty of water if you hike this one. I couldn't even say I saw close to 75 on this walk, saw much less. The last stop on this trail isn't worth the extra long walk seeing nothing. Boca Negra Canyon trail was more interesting as you can hike up a small, steep peak, giving you a great view of the surrounding area and seeing a few glyphs on the way up. Keep in mind it is very steep. There's also a less steep but still rocky hike past glyphs closer to the ground at this site. But again, I still say I didn't see anywhere near 100+ glyphs. I did buy a very nice hat in the visitor center, they had a great selection and I plan on taking this hat on other trips.

A visit to the petroglyphs on the west side of Albuquerque is very worthwhile. The petroglyphs are fascinating. You’ll see drawings that are repeated in Native American art. The terrain is rough despite the paved trails, so watch your footing!

This is self guided stroll where you can hunt petroglyphs. Dress accordingly and the walk is through sand. Stop by the visitor center for a great chat with the host.

The trail was wide and well-marked, There were so many petroglyphs on the Rinconada Trail. there were trail markers along the way that identified some of the drawings and history about them. I was a bit unsure about making the 2.2 round trip hike--but it was more of a long walk that I enjoyed with my grandchildren and their parents. It was SOOOOO windy, though, and there is no shelter from the wind (or the sun), but it was fun listening to the children as they'd spot another drawing, and we'd all wonder what it meant.

First visit the visitor centre and definately watch the 20min video which explains the geology and history of the area and it's people. We chose Piedras marcadas canyon to walk through. It is a bit unusual to be so close to homes but you need to get over that and focus on the petroglyphs which are good to see. A surprising benefit is the birds and rabbits you see on the way. We especially enjoyed the various plants as well. Seeing the video at the visitor center first is great.

Wonderful place to take a hike and enjoy nature and see the petroglyphs. You can also go here for a picnic (there are few settings for that , and very clean restrooms at the beginning of the trails. Parking is $1 that you put in an envelope and let in the mailbox at the park entry.

It was hot the day we went so didn't spend a lot of time but we had been a few years back. This is worth the visit and not a hard walk/climb if you have limited mobility.

Good collection of hiking trails with views in several areas. The Petroglyphs are fascinating - like a view back in history. Regardless of how moderate the trail you choose, good shoes make the experience more enjoyable. Get ready to take lots of photos.

Do Not Uber here !It’s just a video in a parking lot. Then a DRIVe to one of three trails. The longest trail was just an hour. Not as scenic as I expected it to be.

I love history and investigating these ancient Native American sites. The petroglyphs have a great story and history of the area. We hiked the Boca Negra Canyon and saw lots of petroglyphs. There is a cell phone number to call to get specifics on some of the specific petroglyphs. Definitely worth spending some time to investigate these timeless artifacts.

One of our main reasons for visiting ABQ was because of Petroglyph National Monument. We had visited the Santa Fe Petroglyphs earlier and wanted to do this much larger site. Very extensive site, but overall, the Santa Fe site was to me a little better.

There are two trails, one steeper than the other. The trails are quite steep and I was unable to navigate to where the best artwork was. I had to be content with the little bit of artwork at the ground level.

First go to the ranger station and watch the video. The geography is amazing. The area was a volcano and the top is a caldera -- the rim top of the volcano.
The helpful ranger will tell you about the different areas to visit.
Choose what is best for you and drive to the area.
We chose Boca Negra which was a 5 minute drive from the ranger station. There you can look or hike. We climbed the paved path up the steep hill and saw petroglyphs along the way. It helps to have a walking stick but an agile person will be fine. I made it most of the way and my husband got to the top. We are seniors.
Views: fantastic! There were little hikes near the parking lot too that are easy. Go enjoy this geological and historal site. I hope this helps.

I would not rate this park as scenic (I like green rolling hills), but the opportunity to see age-old petroglyphs was a special experience.

This was amazing. Both short and long hikes so everyone can see a petroglyph no matter the shape. Literally some are 20 feet from parking. So worth it. Being your picnic and enjoy the view. Dont forget the junior ranger badges!

Going at the end of October meant that there were only a few other people on the trails with us, which is great because the trails are narrow. I have bad knees but managed to climb through all the short trails and saw amazing petroglyphs, beautiful views, and even a roadrunner. I'm really glad we pushed ourselves. It's amazing to see drawings placed o/a 1400 AD! Wow!!!

Amazing to see the work of people that lived here. Nice place to take a hike. Trails well maintained.

We went to the Boca Negra Canyon and walked the 3 trails. The first once you come to is by far the hardest. While the other two are very easy. You can get close to the petroglyphs and there are signs along the trail to explain things. Highly recommend this stop.

Such a wonderful part of history. Watched a great video as visitors center that helped us understand what a grand history we were going to see. The hike was not easy up the side of the hill but well worth the effort. You can stop anytime and turn around but I made it to the top.

We did the Boca Negra trail because it was short and petroglyphs were many. The trail is rather steep but not difficult. There were descriptions of the petroglyphs and a description of the geology of the area. The view was stunning!

Four of us visiting from Michigan wanted to see the carvings. Very interesting and several to see. The ranger at the visitor’s center was extremely helpful. She guided us to an area that had three paths to see the carvings.

This attraction is well-worth the effort and time to search and pick the discrete parts of the Monument you wish to visit depending on your hiking ability. We went to two -- one was easy and flat, and the other one was hilly, rocky, and narrow paths.
It was at the latter, where a strand of SS wire from the end of SS rope holding up a suspension bridge, pierced my finger causing pain and bleeding. That was my only mishap on this trip.
There are many petroglyphs to discover and appreciate. However, I suspect that many are left by modern-day tourists. There are signs to warn tourists not to deface or vandalize. I hope this Monument is preserved for succeeding generations.

This is venue is unique along the volcanic escarpment with beautiful petroglyphs of animals and mythic creatures.
The walk is worth the effort. A must see

Nice loop trail. Plenty of parking at trailhead. Definitely need some patience as the first quarter mile we didn’t see anything but then we started seeing them abundance. A few repeated pictures even. Cool experience, definitely worth a stop if you are in Albuquerque.

3 trails on the west side of Albuquerque offer a variety of petroglyphs to examine and ponder. The visitor’s center offers guides to all 3 trails, which are all separate - you need to drive several miles to each different trail. Parking is offered at each (one charges a nominal fee, the other 2 are free). The trails vary in length, from less than a mile to approximately 2 miles. In general, these petroglyphs are accessible to most people of moderate physical ability.

Took the Rinconada trail...relatively flat hike that’s about 2 miles looped round trip. Petroglyphs can be found on the last half of the outbound loop. For some Petroglyphs you need a keen eye and always helps to have more than one set of eyes

This National Monument is divided into 5 parts: Volcanoes on west side and out of the way with no petroglyphs and dirt road. Skip it! Approaching the main areas, you come first to the Riconada canyon, a 2.2 mile hike which we skipped. Then the Visitor Center with a 20 minute outdoor video, gift shop and outdoor toilets. Continuing up the road, Boca Negra Caynon is next with three short hikes, lots of petroglyphs and great indoor restrooms. Continuing northward Piedras Marcadas Canyon is next with a small parking lot immediately behind a subdivision (this is an urban national monument). This trail minimally it 1.5 miles with a very fine sandy covering and scattered petroglyphs.

A sense of the ancient inhabitants of the land resides here. You can walk ancient volcanic rocks covered with images of birds, animals, snakes, handprints, etc
Bring a hat and water bottle, very limited shade. Trails are accessible, especially the cliff trail which follows the base of the cliff

Visitor Center has a 20 minute movie which is worthwhile

I went to the Boca Negra Canyon area. It is a great place for people of average fitness to see the Petroglyphs. The trails to see them are rocky and steep but not that long. School children were handling them just fine. I did fine with LL Bean hiking sandals. I also saw roadrunners, hawks, a crissal thrasher and a jack rabbit on my 3 hour visit. There are great views of downtown Albuquerque.

Check in at the visitor center and then drive to three separate viewing areas with varying hikes and climbs. Over 400 Petroglyphs have been found on the rocks. Beware of the parking lot near Jiffy Lube as there have been recent car burglaries.

Great way to see the Petroglyphs but a bit of a steep and rocky trail up. Just take your time and take in the views, as well as the petroglyphs.

Very interesting two hikes. One that you need the effort to climb up... and the other, short with fascinating petroglyphs along the way. Worth visiting!!

Great experience and very close to town! Several areas to see remarkable petroglyphs. Worth the time to see!

A great place to visit in the cooler months but it can be pretty brutal in mid summer. Several trails wander through the petroglyphs and it's difficult to imagine someone pecking these fascinating designs into the rocks hundreds of years ago.

This National Monument has a 2.2 mile walk around a small canyon. There are over 300 hundred petroglys there. We easily identified at least one hundred. There are also modern graffiti markings as well as markings that were left by Spanish famrmers. If you take your time you will see them. The walk is easy and the trail is sandy. Take some water, there is no cover.

Although there is driving involved to the three glyph sites it is worth it. We did not walk the longest trail, but did the 2.2 mile hike and shorter walk to view ancient pictures carved in the volcanic stone. Fascinating.

Visited here in the summer, a nice walk through history with very well preserved petroglyphs. Nice trail to follow. My daughter absolutely loved it

Amazing that a place like this with such history is accessible to the public (you can put your hands on the rocks) and yet it is clean and un-vandalized. Climbing from the canyon to the top of the lava flow is not very strenuous, I even saw a three year old boy at the top, so, not a hard climb. Loved that the very first petroglyph you see looks like a rat with a lollypop.

We had to be in Santa Fe by 1 pm and needed something to burn a couple of hours in the morning. This is like a perfect two hour excursion, you can see pretty much everything in that time. There are picnic areas with shade and benches so if you bring a lunch, you could easily stretch the trip into 3-4 hours.

Begin at the Visitors Center, but bring a mask, as they don’t have any available. They have good information describing the 3 viewing areas with detailed driving directions. There is an informational video that you can see outside. There is a gift shop too.

You need binoculars or a zoom to see most of them. The trail could be closer to alot of the glyphs while still be far enough away to protect them. Also, this may be an issue of the pandemic, but have brochures there to go over more of the petroglyhs would also be great. There are some trail signs but they don't go int the petroglyphs much.. we saw some petroglyhs without signs and some signs had no petroglyphs. Having said that, it is still a great place with plenty of great rock art

Very impressive when you realize how old these petroglyphs are. You can choose from three walks, we have done one. Hereby certainly got a good impression of the petroglives. Interesting also to read the information about the different highlights (this is on signs along the route). If you are in the area it is definitely worth doing one of the three walks. You'll be sweet with this for between 1 and 2 hours.

I loved this National Monument. I found the visitor center well done with knowledgeable rangers/staff. The petroglyphs were very interesting and many were accessible with limited hiking for those who couldn't handle the moderate to difficult hiking.

Petroglyph National Park, Boca Negra Trail: one of two trails that are quite close to the visitor center. Easily located on a map, you will need a couple small bills to cover the honor system entry fee. Prudent footwear is important here. The rocks are volcanic in nature and will f*** you up if you're not careful. We saw a couple folks in sandals which was not smart. The marked trail winds its way up about a hundred and fifty vertical feet. As you wind your way up the hill, you'll see a myriad of petroglyph symbols. Near the top there is a side trail that leads to the top plateau. While not particularly high, you do get a good view of the valley. Should take about 1 hour. Recommended

There are three different locations. We went to two of the three. Rinconada Canyon is a 2.2 mile loop. It’s a mixture of packed and loose sand. You’ll see petroglyphs on the volcanic rocks, to your right. Some are hard to see. Bring binoculars if you have them and water to drink-no shade. The canyon is lovely and quiet the farther in you walk. Lots of birds and lizards. Boca Negra Canyon has restrooms and you can see petroglyphs here without much effort. If you choose to climb the sets of steps, it’s great, but steep, but you’ll see even more. We saw a rattlesnake here, curled up just off the path. They are common. Stay on the trails and keep an eye out as they blend in with the sandy coloring.

We were disappointed in the visitor center which we felt was a waste of our time. The building is very small with just a desk and shop area. A video was set up outside for viewing -- guess the center has no indoor theater. We normally watch NP videos, but this one was stuck on Spanish language, so everyone left a few minutes into the showing.

I had researched the park website before travel, and we had already selected the Piedras Marcadas Canyon area for our hike. The trail was 1 1/2 miles -- long enough but not too long on the hot October afternoon. This area claims 400 petroglyphs, so we had no trouble finding drawings to observe and photograph. The trail was well-defined in the beginning, but it disintegrated at the far end; without good signage, we ended up leaving the park a few blocks from where we entered.

Spend the day on walking trails that will take you back in time and allow you to see bits of history scrawled on volcanic rock. the museum/interperative center is a must. where comfortable shoes and on most days be prepared for the heat.

Nice 2 mile easy walk with lots of petroglyphs. Recommend that you bring binoculars for the ones that are further away. Saw lots of lizards, as well:-)

Depending on what trail you take, this can be an easy walk or a tough hike. You go to the Visitor Center, but that is not the site of any trailheads. Be prepared to need to drive a few miles to get to where you are starting your hike. We saw many, many petroglyphs and we were on one of the easier trails. Free and worth the walk.

We hiked several trails and enjoyed seeing the petroglyphs. Also, the rangers at the monument were very helpful in giving us ideas of other trails to hike in and around ABQ.

Go early and bring lots of water! We took the easy trail, which goes off of a neighborhood. The footing was good, but watch for stray rocks that pop up in the sand trail every once in awhile. Once you know what you are looking for, the petroglyphs are all around you. Make Sure You have LOTS of water, we were there at 9:00 in the morning and it was already into the 90's, if you aren't used to the heat and dryness, you will need to take it slowly and drink lots of water.

One of my favorite places to wander and view the petroglyphs while in town.
Bring water and plan on staying for a few hours

Even on a hot day this was a cool place. So many amazing petroglyphs. We walked the Piedras Marcadas Trail and they were everywhere. So many. They looked liked they had just been made yesterday instead of the 1300s.

Had to come see this while we were here. The visitor center is not where the petroglyphs are, but it's a great place to start and get information. There are 3 main sites to visit. We did the short one first - Boca Negra. It's a short drive north and easy to find. Lots of parking there for us and the trail is really short. The best place here is the trail up the ridge. Oh.. and we saw a roadrunner here too!

That got us hooked so we went to the next location just south of the visitors center. Very easy trail but a long one. It takes a while before you get to see anything here. Due to time constraints we only got about 1/4 of the trail before we turned around.

Well worth checking this out, recommend to anyone visiting the area.

What a great way to spend a few hours. Talk a walk back in history as you visit these amazing petroglyphs. Easy to reach and park.

Wonderful experience looking at the petroglyphs. Stop at the visitors center for a map and directions to the three separate areas. If you are older or have bad knees I would recommend bringing trekking poles. Some climbing and uneven ground and rocks on the trail.

Petroglyph National Monument has 3 sites to visit and I visited 2 of them while on my trip to New Mexico. I found the Petroglyghs interesting to look at and many date back hundreds of years or more.

We arrived at 4 p.m. at the visitor center yesterday Saturday August 12
The ranger gave us documentation in French, so we headed towards the visiting location which is a little further away (2 kms)
But everything was closed on site at 4:15 p.m.
Unfortunately, it’s often like that with hasty closures that do not correspond to what is indicated on the sites.

We did the Rinconada Canyon trail and enjoyed it very much. It’s all scrubland on a 2+ mile loop. We saw dozens of petroglyphs, with the heaviest concentration at the turnaround. There’s not much in the way of signeage so you have to keep your eyes peeled, but it was no less enjoyable for that.

We only did the Boca Negra site a few minutes from the visitor center. To think that it took the end of the visit to realize that we were in a volcano crater! The engravings are surprisingly well preserved and the trails easily passable.

A few scratchings on rocks that might interest anthropologists or natives but really didn't grab my interest or that of the kiddies. A little bit of a trail to climb to the top of the hill which was easily climbed and proved more interesting to our toddlers.
If you have toddlers this may not be worth the experience especially if you have other competing activities or are short on time.

Our local friends took us to the Petroglyphs when we visited ABQ for the first time in Nov 2022. The weather was perfect, and we all took off our jackets by the end of the light hike.

We had plenty of parking just before lunch, and the trails were easy to find. Our two dogs each got some stickerburrs in their paws by the entrance, but the sandy trails soothed them just fine. Later, they enjoyed seeing a jackrabbit run across the rocks.

The Petroglyph rocks were easy to see along the trail, and we enjoyed the mostly flat walk. Afterward, we drove over to the main center and gift shop. Dogs weren't allowed inside, so while my bf waited with them at a shaded picnic table, one of the rangers came out. He thought they were so sweet (which they are) that he gave them Bark Ranger bandanas. How cool!

Interesting piece of our history. It was fascinating to think people did art to show their lifestyle for people in the future to find. Or just for fun, who knows. It is a shame that idiots must ruin it by putting their own “art” today and not respecting the National preserved Monument.

I hiked the Rinconada Canyon trail. This one is about a 2.2 mile loop trail. It is a very sandy trail, so parts are a little harder to walk and you will get dusty. Be patient, you’ve got to go at least a half mile before you’ll see petroglyphs, and the best are closer to 1 mile in. I needed up turning around at the halfway point and walking back the way I came to see if I could find more petroglyphs. If you continue on the loop you’ll be in the middle of the canyon with no petroglyphs to view. A good hike but go early as there is no shade and no water on trail.

This attraction is a bit off the main roads, but worth the trip. It is a strenuous exercise to visit all the petroglyphs, some of which are up rocky hills.

First of three sites advertised for less mobile but vey limited parking and no accommodations for getting anywhere close to site.

Have seen plenty of Petroglyphs in my life but none on individual rocks like these. On the trail we were on there are over 500 Petroglyphs. It was easy walking on sand. We saw two rabbits. We really enjoyed this site. It is free.

If you only do one trail pick Rinconada Canyon. Saw 100 petroglyphs. Sandy trail with some rocks to step over. Higher concentration of pectroglyphs deeper in the canyon. Piedras Marcadas Canyon is a second choice. Trailhead for this one is actually in a neighborhood, which confused me at first.

This place is pretty cool. There are some great views of the Rio Grande Valley and Albuquerque. This place is great because you can choose how long you want to spend by choosing trails with the petroglyphs near or far from the trailhead.

Petroglyph National Monument is a great opportunity for families to do a little hiking and see some Southwest history up close and personal. Some trails are easier than others and offer people of a certain age access to viewing petroglyphs. It's like any other desert environment you need to have hats sunscreen or long sleeve shirts water and a hiking stick. You have to be aware that there's lots of desert critters around you may not see anything but a rabbit or two and some birds there's always a chance to see rattlesnakes. The images were carved by Ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers. The variety of petroglyphs allow you to see lots of different things that are somewhat understandable like animals, and crosses; others are more complex. Their meaning could have been a native vision quest type thing or have some shamanic meaning. These images represent indigenous cultural heritage and should always be treated with respect. I know some sites were native people still come and perform some ceremonies. The monument has four major sites that visitors can access, Boca Negra Canyon, Rinconada Canyon,Piedras Marcadas Canyon,and the Volcano Day Use trails. During this visit I was only able to go to Piedras Marcadas Canyon, which I had some local friends show me. It's a straight flat hike couple miles round-trip maybe. Had some really nice sunset views as well. If I were visiting I would check with the.Park to see if there were going to be some volunteer docent around to lead some hikes. Or possibly the Sierra club. If you take kids you really have to watch them for several reasons, one it's volcanic rock and can be slippery even when dry and more so if it's damp and can get you some darn nasty cuts if you fall. Secondly there's some bugs called blister bugs if you're messing around and pick one up it can give you a blister. Plus there's black widow spiders in some places so you have to be aware of that and rattlesnakes. It said old axiom know where you put your hands and your feet. I don't want it to seem that it's not a good place for families or seniors it is especially the hike I went on, you just have to have common sense.I really appreciate the national Park from making this accessible. And remember it's not Disneyland there's not a lot of electronic interaction on the trail your kids have to be interested in being outside in a pretty cool environment.

Because it was on our way we decided to stop by the check it. It was easy total of 2.2 miles hike to see the drawings. Most of them were marked with signs, but there were some without, keep your eye open to spot them. But having said that we would have not drive out of our way to just to see this site to ne honest.

Lots of walking to see what seemed like "graffiti" by bored teenagers long ago. Except, did we see an airplane? Weren't there some English letters? Was there a party for hand printing? How can you tell that something is really old? Or created by any certain people? Or have any particular meaning?

Truly unique and geologically speaking. Interesting even for your teenagers. Worth a detour if you are taking a road trip to Arizona.

Went to the park, took the 1 1/2 mile trail. Plenty of petroglyphs to look at, although some looked suspicious..

It was very hot so we didn't do too many trails. The nice thing was how much we could actually see in a short time on the easy trails. The petroglyphs are pretty amazing to see in real life. We spent quite a long time in the visitor center so my daughter could do her Junior Ranger book. The rangers were super nice and we had a great visit with them.

It was great to see these petroglyphs. However, it would have been better to have a guide or diagram of what they may have symbolized. I do recommend it

The Piedras Marcadas trail is barely outside the city and a perfect little walk. It is very easy and short, but you see lots of petroglyphs along the way. There are signs located throughout the trail telling you more about the petroglyphs

We first went to the Visitor Center for the Petroglyphs National Monument. You can watch a film here and get helpful information about the trails. There is also a small gift shop here. There are 3 different trail options for seeing the petroglyphs etched in the rocks. … and none of them are at the visitor center. They are within a few miles though. Two areas are undeveloped trails and one is small but mostly paved. The petroglyphs are not labeled so it is like a treasure hunt as you look for the drawings on the rocks as you meander the trails. If the sun is out, a hat would be good to bring. When you see the information from the visitor center, you can see which trail option suits you. Recommended activity for a visit in Albuquerque.

The trails well-marked and easy to ascend. The numerous Petroglyphs were well-preserved. Found a couple of very precious Solstice markers.

The visitor center for the petroglyphs is in a different location and if this is your first viewing of petroglyphs go there first. Google the petroglyph national visitor center, mapping will help you out. Then come on over to see the petroglyphs. Do have $2 in cash for the self park sticker at the entrance, I noticed park folks checking and since that $2 is your total outlay, why not put it in the envelope as you enter? It’s well worth it. The place is easy to find and the trail isn’t a difficult hike. There are places for a picnic, information along the trails and a covered space or two to get out of the sun. Going to the visitor center first is wonderful since it does a great job of informing your visit, especially if you view the free 20 minute film which the visitor center attendant is happy to show you. One need not spend a great deal of time here to get a good experience and since it’s so accessible (no not wheel chair accessible) being close to town why not give it a go?

It was too hot when we arrived at the Visitor Center. Nevertheless I did the Boca Negra Canyon Hike about a mile and contains more than a 100 Petroglyphs. It was an easy hike and scramble to the top.

This monument is full of HUNDREDS of petroglyphs that were carved into volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers hundreds of years ago. And yet, their images are as clear today as they were when they were made. There are four different sections to this monument, but they are not connected. Rather, you drive to a trailhead and along the way, look at the petroglyphs. Bring water and wear comfortable shoes and a hat! There are no restrooms or water fountains. At the visitor center, there is a camp toilet, but no sink to wash your hands. There are two short hikes that are under a mile (Boca Negra Canyon), then two longer and more strenuous hikes that vary from 1.5 to 2.2miles in length. NOTE: DO NOT leave valuables in your car. There is an issue with cars being broken into, especially on the longer hikes where the car owners are away from their vehicle for an extended period of time. NOTE: Pets are ONLY allowed at Boca Negra. But beware. Rocks are hot and sharp and can burn/cut puppy paws.
This was a fascinating monument. I think to get the most out of it, I would visit at a cooler time of the year.

Walked Boca Negra Canyon we tried Rinconada Canyon 4 days ago but got blown out by high winds and cold temperatures
Boca is a shorter walk and views Albuquerque are great plus the petroglyphs
There are several smaller trails near by as well
Worth the trip

We usually love walking here when we travel through Albuquerque, but this time we just drove into the parking lot and didn't go much further. There are signs in the restrooms warning of a rash of recent vehicle break-ins. If you go to the National Park Site they have a warning up about this as well. It's a shame because this is a really nice easy walk. Our out of country license plate was a dead giveaway that we weren't from here, so we didn't want to risk it.

A very nice welcome center is at the entrance of the petroglyphs. Take a few minutes to watch the video explaining the area (outdoor but shaded). A nice gift shop inside with people who are willing to answer your questions. Then drive a little further and take your water as you walk into the rocks and see the amazing petroglyphs. Bathrooms are available at the second parking area.

Start out at the Visitor Center/ Ranger station. The rangers are so knowledgeable and patient. They helped us identify the best place to start, for us, an easy trail- Boca Negra. Short drive from the center to the trail head. This was an easy trail and needs only an hour or less to walk it. There was an option to use your phone to connect to the voice-trail guide. This was a very nice addition, offering insight and explanation as we walked along.

We went to the visitor center right at opening. Based on our schedule they recommended the Boca Negra Canyon since the three trails could be completed in around one and half hours.

The Mesa Point trail was the longest and more difficult walk as it required some care as the trail wound its way up a rocky hillside. There was good signage for the key petroglyphs on this trail. At the top we had a nice view of Albuquerque. Worth the climb up if you can. We noticed most of the visitors bypassed this trail.

The Macaw and Cliff Base trails were shorter, easier to walk and we got to see more petroglyphs up close. These trails were closer to the picnic parking lot.

No fee to visit this park.

On our way to the Santa Fe area, my husband and I stopped here for a morning hike. Since we really just wanted a hike and also had a time crunch, we did two of the smaller ones. When you arrive at the visitor center, they provide a guide/map which provides you with the information on the drives that it takes to get to the hikes (signs are also along the highway). They have several options from less than an hour to day long ones - majority of them provide views of petroglyphs. The hikes were nice and the petroglyphs were neat to see.

Visited here with friends before our group tour of New Mexico began. Petroglyph NM is aptly named for it includes thousands of great petroglyphs. The park is in a few different sections so you need to drive short distances in order to access each area.
Each area of the park has some good trails and each has petroglyphs so you won't be disappointed. Some trails are pretty easy while some are more strenuous. Stop at the visitor center to obtain information and trail guides as well as directions to drive to each section of the park.
We were there in the early fall and it was still pretty hot in the afternoons so it's best to visit here in the mornings if possible as there is no shade on the trails.
A stop here is well worth it for sure if you like Native American history and petroglyphs.

Go in the morning right after it opens because it gets hot! There are a variety of trails for every fitness level and walks are generously rewarded with view of petroglyphs and of Albuquerque in the distance.

Hot in the mid afternoon sun, but any other time of year than summer will make your trip for you and you family an education. This is one of the oldest areas geologically on earth, find out about the people who lived here thousands of years ago.

The trails are easy to navigate and maneuver with nice desert scenery, and quiet. The petroglyhs are pretty neat to see.

We stopped here in the morning on our way from Albuquerque to Flagstaff - it was the perfect time to visit as it was still cool and a little breezy. We spent an hour or so on the Boca Negra trail which is a steady uphill climb but with more or less easy footing. The landscape is quite dramatic and once you reach the top there is a nice view of the Sandia Mountains and Albuquerque.

The petroglyphs themselves are very interesting and a reminder of times past. We enjoyed speculating on what they might mean.

Easy to find monument just outside of Albuquerque. Trails for all skill levels. See hundreds of petroglyphs on a well maintained easy to moderate trails. Great for families with children. Some trails allow dogs on leashes

So much history so close to the city! Binoculars a bonus but not a must. Direct sun so bring hat and water.

Excellent short hikes and each has a hundreds of different petroglyphs to spot. Especially great to do in fall when temperature is cooler.

Pretty interesting information about the petroglyphs and ancient volcanoes.

For some reason the trails to the tops of the volcanoes were closed (boo!). Lovely views, otherwise.

A little weird to us that the visitor center is not actually connected to the various locations - you have to drive out of the park and visit each location separately, but they are all relatively close by. I suppose this is because the areas around the park were already developed by the time it was designated as a National Monument (just speculating).

The Petroglyph National Monument is an easy walk for all ages. There is no admission fee and you are on your own to walk at your own pace looking for the various petroglyphs. It was a relaxing walk but you need to go early in the day if the weather is warm as it gets pretty hot with no shaded areas. There are a couple different places to park depending on the trail you plan to take. We went during the government shutdown so the welcome center was not open but the trails were still available. highly recommend for anyone who likes to walk and learn at the same time!!

We visited Volcanoes Day Use area, but were disappointed to discover there are no Petroglyphs located here. However, we enjoyed the hike around the volcanoes and the spectacular view of Albuquerque. We left this area and drove to Boca Negra Canyon and hiked up one trail and saw many neat Petroglyphs. However, gates closed at 4:30 pm & we did not have enough time to tour entire area as we’d hoped. Parking is $2 per vehicle. Nice hikes and experience!

There is a wonderful collection of easy to see and reach petroglyphs (ancient carvings). There is a great variety of designs and there are several possible trails in different areas of the National Monument you can visit. This monument is surrounded by Albuquerque suburbs, so plan your travel time accordingly. You will be out in the sun, no shade. Wear a hat, carry water and go early in the day if possible. The park closes relatively early in the day,

It is three locations outside of city in the edge of the residential areas, it is a small climb Nice for a light hike, 30min or more. And on top of the hill, you can have a pretty good full view of skyline of the Albuquerque

This is an area for hiking. The view from the trail that goes to the top is very nice for viewing part of the city. If you like to see petroglyphs, this is a nice park. Use your national park pass to enter for free.

Great morning hike! There were about 3 different trails to choose from (easy to a bit harder). There are no trails by the visitor center so you have to drive about 1-2 miles to each trailhead but there were really cool petroglyphs to see. Definitely worth the trip!

Stayed in Albuquerque and just happened to search the NP website and found this interesting one. Had a great park ranger helper and enjoyed his information. We took the easiest walk area and saw plenty of petroglyphs. Take water and a hat.

We went during balloon festival. First thing in the morning. Did not encounter the hordes that were in other locations. The petroglyphs are amazing. The hikes to them are easy on mostly flat but sandy ground.

There are plenty of petroglyphs here. There are 3 different locations that you can hike in the park & each one has a different viewing experience & trail difficulty. My wife recently had a full knee replacement & she opted to hike in Piedras Marcados Canyon. The hike was a little over a mile long with no steps or steep elevation changes. She easily made this hike & we saw 350+ petroglyphs. This is a great place to go.

Don't go to the Visitor Center expecting to see petroglyphs. There are none there. The park is divided into several sections and 3 of them have viewable petroglyphs. We chose the Piedras Marcadas area and spent about 2 hours there. The trail is a 1.5 mile loop and we saw hundreds of petroglyphs. The trail is easy with little elevation gain. Mostly a sandy trail. It wasn't crowded the day we visited. We weren't disappointed with our time there.

Much more interesting than you may think. It is a bit of a hike up the hill, but on the way you find the Petroglyphs.
Do not miss the 20 minute video at the visitor's center--plus the nice little gift shop. When we were there the yellow flowers and blue sky made for beautiful photos. Go if you can you will not be sorry.

Stop at the visitors center to get a map of where the petroglyphs are located. There are 3 sites and all require a hike to see the petroglphs. There are hikes for all levels of experience and ability. The harder/lengthier hikes will provide almost 300 petroglyphs.

We walked several of the trails, take plenty of water. There were several people climbing on areas that were roped off to take selfies. The visitor center has a lot of information as well.

This was an interesting out of the way stop. The trail was short but the climb was rigorous. The trail was crudely paved which made it easier to follow. The petroglyphs were well preserved and the interpretive signs were informative. Be prepared for the elements. When it's not windy the sun heats up the volcanic rocks and it gets toasty. The views of the valley from here gorgeous.

We did the shortest trail,which involved climbing a small hill. We saw quite a few petroglyphs and enjoyed the scenery from atop the hill. I wish we had allotted more time to due the other trails.

Amazing views and educational for our family. Love the outdoors and this didn’t disappoint. Go in the cool of the day, very hot. We went early in the morning

We went overboard here and did four sites in one day. But it was a blast! It's a long drive to get to the volcanoes, and the loop around the volcanoes is several miles, so you can probably leave that one out unless you have a special affinity for tiny extinct volcanoes (the landscape isn't particularly interesting out there either). But I definitely recommend any or all of the petroglyph sites closer to the visitor center on the northeast side of the park - it's so interesting to see how much the petroglyphs vary at sites only a few miles apart!

I had no idea how large this site is. We saw an amazing number of petroglyphs and also had a really nice walk across the mesa above.

Wow, what a find. And right next to an urban area. Several years ago while on I-40, we saw the signs for the National Monument and stopped by. Being late in the day, we didn't stay long and were determined to return.

Our poor (literally) National Park Service. I'm so excited about what they do on a shoe-string budget. First, this Monument is free. Nice. There's a small Visitor's Kiosk (staffed by a most knowledgeable volunteer) and a small gift shop in the house originally built by the folks who worked the area years ago. Outside is a portable canopy with a video. Good video. The volunteer was a font of information about the Monument and where to see petroglyphs.

Last time we went to Rinconaca Canyon, the closest and most popular area. Can be crowded. And closes at 5pm. This time we drove to Piedras Marcadas Canyon, a 15 minute drive. Nice hike near a housing development. So glad we drove a little ways. There were few people. A nice hike. And numerous petroglyphs.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Would like to try other hikes.

Took my dog for a walk here today. Dog waste pickup bags are at the start of the trail. There were several filled poop bags left by people on the trail. C'mon people! Dispose of the waste you pick up rather than leaving the bag on the trail! That being said, there's no shade.

The trail is marked with arrows. Easy footing but it is sandy. Saw several rabbits & wildflowers. Petroglyphs are visible and really stand out when the sun is right. It was an enjoyable, easy walk.

We visited this national monument on an uncharacteristic cooler day in May – the temperature was only 70 degrees. We started at the visitor center and watched a 22 minute video concerning the history of the monument and where/how the petroglyphs came to be.

We then chose the Piedras Marcadas Canyon section to hike and photograph petroglyphs. This part of the monument is a few miles north of the visitor center. There is free parking behind the Valvoline Oil Change place (9501 Golf Course Rd NW) to hike at Piedras Marcadas. For that matter, the monument is also free. One thing to note is that the actual trail is not always easy to follow. Also, watch for rattlesnakes – not just on the ground, but even in the bushes. On our hike, we saw a couple of hummingbirds and a couple of desert jack rabbits. One of the rabbits that we saw could pass for a 20 pound dog. We also saw a lot of small lizards and some giant crows.

We hiked in the afternoon. I suggest going earlier in the day to see the petroglyphs better. The afternoon sun really diminishes viewing of the petroglyphs.

Finally, take some water with you. Even on a 70 degree day, it doesn’t take long to get thirsty in the high altitude sun.

We really enjoyed our visit. We visited the trails at Boca Negra canyon. The volcanic rock is everywhere and a neat site that you can’t find everywhere. The petroglyphs were cool to see. Definitely worth the stop.

At first I was a little slow in recognizing the petroglyphs but after finding a few I had a better idea what to look for. I liked trying to figure out what the meaning was

We did the piedras marcadas hike 1.5 miles in early october. this trail is located in a residential area, you almost feel like your in the wrong place, because its not where the visitor center is ( was shut down during our stay) Its helpful if you go to the web site and get the address before you go. The gps took us right there.

There is a mid size parking lot (about 20 spaces) right next to the trail head. I would bring a backpack with water, snacks and sun screen , and a hat. The trail is easy to follow and has wire/ropes on both sides of the path to help prevent bad behavior. A little uphill and downhill walking in the sun. not much tree cover. Look for markers along the trail to help spot the rock art. you will come across the first one just around the first corner. You will have to scan as you go because not all the markings have any signs . There are areas that have multiple petoglyphs on the rocks so look around as you go.

along the trial we also found several lizzards that we found hard to photograph as they would run when we came across them. cactus , and several colorful flowers. The trail was over a mile and could be longer if you went on the side trails. The experience took us about an hour and a half. There are no rest rooms here so keep that in mind.

Hiked the Rinconada trail. Only regret since I was on vacation, I did not have my fully prepared pack. In which my binoculars would be. Just took twice the effort to really spot the petroglyphs, unless they were obvious.
Wear good shoes as it is sandy in spots and take plenty of water. I happened to go early enough in the morning, before Albuquerque reached some record breaking highs.
Lots of lizards on the trails and there are warnings about rattlesnakes. Gladly, I didn’t see one.

It's a fascinating side close to the city. Very interesting, well maintained. Some parts a bit hard to reach but even elderly people can see a lot.

The petroglyphs are out in the sun, so be prepared with a hat and water if you want to walk the longer loops. We enjoyed the lack of crowds at Piedra Marcadas canyon (note: no bathroom or water here) but the walk in sand was tiring by the end. You can take a shortcut and go back sooner if you don't want to do the whole trek. The view of the valley from the short trail at the start that goes atop the rocks was worth the climb. The length of your visit depends entirely on how many canyons you want to visit. You do also have to drive between the areas!

There is limited information at the guest center, but there are three different canyons you can visit. We chose Boca Negra Canyon. There is a $2 cost to enter (per vehicle) and right way you can start seeing the petroglyphs. We walked the area in about 30 minutes and saw many different petroglyphs. Definitely worth the time.

This is an interesting place to stop and see some ancient Native American drawings. The Visitor Center was closed, but the trails are an easy hike and self-explanatory—something for all hiking abilities. We hiked two different trails.

This was a fairly easy to moderate hike with excellent views. The scenery and petroglyphs are both very cool. Did it in a dress and sneakers. Nothing too complicated. (Have water, though! It's hot!)

The petroglyphs are a mystery and continue to baffle historians, archeologists and sociologists. Many of the drawings resemble the work of school age children, however, some are clearly more complex and appear to be recording vital information, or to be relating a key message to others. A must see for yourself and make up your own mind.

The most important thing to know is that you can get the lay of the land at the ranger center but there are no actual petroglyphs there.You choose which ones you want to see they're scattered all over and you drive to whichever hike or walk you want to do. For some of them it takes quite a while to actually see some petroglyphs but it's a beautiful walk and some lovely surroundings.

We’ve seen petroglyphs on Hawaii before and wanted to check these out. First went to the visitor center to talk with the ranger about the different sites and what they offer. We decided to go to Boca Negra to determine if we wanted to do a longer hike in 100 degree temps.

We did all 3 hikes in Boca Negra and they were all easy. This is the only site you have to pay $2 to park but free for NPS members. The longest hike was billed as 30 minutes but it took 15-20 since we stopped for many photos. The others took half the time as quoted. All had signage and showed nice petroglyphs.

Then drove over to Piedras Marcadas and decided to see the petroglyphs. When you start out, take the part of the loop closest to the rocks. Along the way you’ll see some well preserved petroglyphs. Walk around the rocks and then return on the loop in a direct line back.

Interesting sights, climbed to top and enjoyed all the petroglyphs. View of the Rio Valley as far as your eyes will allow . Sunsets there are as beautiful as can be . All in all, very happy to see it is being maintained and preserved for future visitors.

Thank you Park Services.

they moved the stones miles away from where they were because I worked for the department and it is now just a place to make money

This is a very unique park as the ranger station and the 3 trails are totally separate from one another -- you must drive to each location.
The park rangers are so nice, and willing to answer all your questions, and each trail is unique from the others. There is no shade on the trails (so go early in the day), and two of the trails are soft sand -- wear appropriate shoes.
Don't miss the history and beauty of this park.

It was a very interesting side trip. Centrally located and easy to get to.
Trails were for various abilities and thoroughly enjoyed our time there

This park is just on the outskirts of the city which made it very easy for a quick visit. Of course there’s a lot of trails you can take but we were limited on time. We took one trail which was really cool and saw a lot of Petroglyphs. There’s a very nice visitors center which will point you in the right direction for the type you f trail you want. Overall great experience.

1/4 to 3/4 miles to the trail from the starting point.

Wear good hiking shoes and bring a hat and some water and use the restroom before you head out as well.

The two mile praise that leads past various petroglyph makes for a very nice hike. Interpretive signs help explain what you're looking at. Unfortunately, no off trail access is allowed.

This National Monument is a bit odd, as there are 4 different areas; the Visitor Center is set apart from each of the 3 separate trails. We hiked 2 of the 3 & did the Visitor Center. A completely wonderful experience. We learned so much while there! Word to the wise, take twice as much water as you think you need & don't count on the availability of water on site. In my opinion, this is a "must do" when anywhere near Albuquerque.

A quick stop at the visitor center, and then one is off to the locations where the petroglyphs are available. It is a steep hike. Someone with mobility problems will have trouble getting up and close to the glyphs. But you can see them from the ground. Just be prepared to scramble.

Amazing historical point of interest just minutes from downtown ABQ. We went to two of the three sites, which are very different. Boca Negra allows close examination of the petroglyphs, but is a rather difficult climb up the rocky hillside, and is not suitable for those who might be mobility impaired. Piedras Marcadas is a smooth, sandy path that provides viewing access to hundreds of petroglyphs, but only from a few dozen feet at the closest. Either way, the petroglyphs are an important artifact of Native American history in the Southwest, and shouldn't be missed! Be sure to bring sunscreen, water, a hat, good shoes, and binoculars. Drop by the Visitor Center first to get your bearings.

The petroglyphs are a lot like ancient graffiti. There are multiple trails in the area… we chose one of the shorter ones… about 45-60 min round trip that went up the side of a mesa. The path was steep, but I had no trouble as an overweight 50 yo. View on top was nice… petroglyphs were interesting… at least the first two… I more enjoyed the trail.

Park was not crowded at all. Trails were well marked. It was a good 90 min excursion.

This was our first experience seeing petroglyphs anywhere, so it was a new experience for us. We thought there would be a central location, but it turns out to be three separate trails in different locations. We picked the Piedras Marcadas trail. It took us around 2.5-3 hours but we stopped and took a lot of pics of the rocks and wildlife. The hike was fairly easy and flat (or at least gradual inclines). Parking is super limited. I'm glad we stopped got there early. The glyphs were awe inspiring.

While I had my doubts about what the Petroglyphs would look like and how close we would be able to get to the drawings the doubts were erased when we arrived. They were etching were amazing to see.

We arrived when the visitor center was closed for inventory, but a helpful park volunteer was outside ready to answer questions and offer hiking tips. It's an easy park to access with excellent trails that bring you close to the petroglyphs. We were here during the week so not many people were there. Be aware of park warnings that this is an urban park and there have been car break-ins. Definitely worth a visit.

We visited the Petroglyphs in October. There were few people and we saw many Petroglyphs. I recommend the Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail. We even saw the native bird the Roadrunner wandering around. Don't look for the Petroglyph with the hands on it. It no longer is there due to destruction by visitors sadly. The Rangers at the visitor center were great and helped us ahead of time get oriented.

You'll go to the Visitor's Center to get started. The Center is NOT at the actual petroglyphs. They'll give you maps and instructions where to park to start your walking tour.
Don't get in a hurry, and remember that the petroglyphs are artwork left on rocks, so you'll need to keep your eyes peeled. There are lots of them.
Respect the cultural heritage and don't even think of defacing any of the art. Bring your camera for sure.

There are several different trails that take you to the petroglyphs. I would recommend the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail. It's a 1.5 mile loop trail and takes you to a number of very good petroglyphs. Candidly, once you see a few petroglyphs, you probably don't need to see a bunch more.

It was too hot to walk around but fortunately the Coca Negra Trail was far more eventful without the long walk for so little. Seeing petroglyphs is really an exciting event but you should visit when it is not so hot and difficult.. Outside of Phoenix there are lots and lots of 'drawings' that are easy to view!.

The hike we chose was pretty easy and was flat mostly with small rises. There were lots of Petroglyphs to see. I had surgery 3 months before and I did it easily. The scenery was beautiful. Definitely worth driving out of the way to see if you are into history!
It wouldn't be a bad hike for children if they are used to walking. We took our time and it took us about 2 hours cuz we stopped and took pictures, but adults could do it in an hour or less if you kept walking.
Take lots of water!

Very interesting! Be sure to stop at the visitors center first. And know that 4pm is the latest you can go as the park closes 4:30 in some areas and 5 in others. There are steps but one needs to be able to climb over rocks to see the ancient drawings. Sadly some people tried to mimicking or deface some of the area - this takes from the charm and intentions of the monument area. However, worth visiting to see the real “art conversations”.

Seeing the petroglyphs here is like reading the news from the ancient peoples who lived here long ago. They picture what they see around them and what they believe about the heavens. It's so fascinating to see their rock drawings and to speculate about what they are trying to convey in their artwork.

Just outside of Albuquerque, this park is easily-accessible. Fascinating ancient and modern writing on the volcanic rock of the west mesa. Be sure to take as many of the trails as you can to see as many of the inscriptions as possible.

I hiked the Boca Negra Canyon, Rinconada Canyon and Volcanoes trails midweek in early June. The Boca Negra Canyon trails are best to see petroglyphs up close and are the most family friendly hikes of the three. Rinconada Canyon is nice for seeing wildlife and while I couldn't find too many petroglyphs, I saw several coyotes (and zero people).

I hiked the Volcanoes Loop trail right after sunrise, and that was definitely my favorite hike of the three. No petroglyphs, but the views overlooking ABQ and the Sandias to the east were spectacular. I completed the entire hike without seeing another soul. Only about 3.5 mi. RT loop and took me about 1.5 hr to complete. I can imagine this trail gets hot later in the day or during midsummer.

I went to the Petroglyph National Monument visitor center while visiting Albuquerque. They featured a gift shop with books and souvenirs of the local area. There was a short video featuring native people emoting about their ancestors. All in all the experience was overly hyped focus on pueblo rock art graffiti. The National Monument was mostly created for political reasons to appease a large local voting demographic.

They didn't actually have any rock art to see at the visitor center. To see the petroglyphs a visitor has to drive to another location in the National Monument and and then walk up one of the trails. We happened to be there on a hot August afternoon that was several degrees warmer than average for that time of year so we didn't do a lot of walking outside in the sun.

This place is barefoot friendly, except the paths can be hot on a summer afternoon.

This is a fun hike for anyone. There are all different lengths of trails and all have petroglyphs. The visitors center is also helpful. One trail is a very difficult hike up a treacherous hillside. I do not recommend that one for people who are as old as I am (71). It was too hard on my knees and the best petroglyphs were at the bottom on the sides of the sidewalk.

What an amazing site to see- rented car and drove to the monument- easy drive from Albuquerque and loved the hiking and visitor center information. Amazing to see the persevered history! A must see in the area

The petroglyphs covers a huge area and some of the hikes take a day to complete, so depending on how much time and how much hiking you want to do will determine the sectors you want to see. We visited 3 of the shorter trails, though one was up a steep hill. Everything we saw were pictographs and relatively crude compare to other petroglyph sites we have visited. Also, as the sites scattered over a large area and are easily accessible by any one who knows where to go there is modern graffiti mixed in with the original pictographs. In some instances you are not sure if you are looking at copies or the real thing. An impressive site and just wish we could have spent more time visiting other trails.

I visited this clean public place filled with awe briefly as the sun set in early spring. How I wished the park could have stayed open later though delighted in my brief time there. There is limited, though free, parking here where the always delightful sunset lights up the naturally dark monument formations. I recommend visiting when it's cool, especially with young children, as in summer, it is quite hot and difficult to touch the formations.

Amazing indigenous people's rock art from hundreds of years ago preserved in Boca Negra (where we stopped) and in other canyons of the monument. Well worth spending some time here if in Albuquerque or passing through. (TIp: If there in summer, go early to avoid the midday heat.)

This national monument is actually 3 hikes, which are all in separate locations, and you drive to each. The visitor center provides good information about each. We did the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail, which was a lot of fun. Take plenty of water, and go in the morning or in an overcast day, because it can get hot. It was a nice, sandy walk, with decent views of the petroglyphs. Would a lot 1.5-2 hours for a leisurely walk.

The petroglyphs are amongst the most interesting and mysterious historical monuments in the USA. No-one knows their meaning, but we can guess. They still communicate with the viewer placing you back 800 to 1000 years. Intriguing and evocative!

Enjoyed the climbs up of some of hills and seeing the petroglyphs and the city of Albuquerque. The trails are well marked and there are good interpretive signs. There is also no entrance fee.

There are about 6 sites where there are glyphs some as close as a quarter mile and others as far as a mile walk. The trails are sand and there are many paths that the local residents have created so you really don't know if you are on the right path even with a map. It is hot and dusty. I believe we only got to the first 3 before the sun and heat got to us. Also as the park is totally open you don't know what is ancient and what has been carved more recently by vandals.

This was our first national park on this trip, and it was as informational and enjoyable as we were hoping! The visitor center staff was cheerful and helpful, and the gift shop was reasonably priced and wide-ranging.

The hikes themselves were manageable and chock full of petroglyphs! We didn’t have time to hike the volcanoes, too, but they were clearly visible from the homes we did. The bonus was the view of Albuquerque and the Sandia Mountains.

Beautiful short hike. Was amazed at how many different petroglyphs there were to see. Trail is well kept and easy to traverse.

We rode into this nationa monument and were amazed at the area that the petroglyph cover. It is not a walk for everyone as it is a rough trail. We only went through about one half of the area that the petroglyph's are found. You look to the left and you see some but probably are missing some on the right. A must see if you are in this area. Enjoy!!

It's a nice enough walk if you don't need shade but there were fewer petroglyphs than ANY other petroglyph site I've seen in New Mexico. How this was named a "National Monument" is beyond me.

There are no trails from the visitors center. Instead you have to go to individual trail areas nearby and reached by car. We did one area requiring a great deal of climbing but it was fun.

When you get to the main, starting location take the time to watch the movie as it will provide rich information about the history, culture of the petroglyphs. There are several different sites that can be visited to hike through the landscape and look at drawing =, culture form 100's of years ago. Fascinating!

I went to the Boca Negra Canyon area. It is a great place for people of average fitness to see the Petroglyphs. The trails to see them are rocky and steep but not that long. School children were handling them just fine. I did fine with LL Bean hiking sandals. I also saw roadrunners, hawks, a crissal thrasher and a jack rabbit on my 3 hour visit. There are great views of downtown Albuquerque.

Loved this place with all of the petroglyphs
I was surprised to learn it’s history but we both saw examples is many organisms unprinted on the rocks in the area. Be sure to put it in your list of places to go

Petroglyph National Monument is spread out over the western edge of the city and the Piedras Marcadas is about a 3 mile (total) out and back trail located in the northwestern part of town. Trail is mostly flat, sandy, well-marked with no shade. There is a free parking lot and the trail is open dawn to dusk, so if you want to get an early start before the sun and heat beat you down, this could be an advantage of this trail over some of the others that don't open until 8 AM. A nice surprise was the surprising amount of wildlife that was pretty easily seen - coyote, jack rabbits, cottontails, squirrels, rock wrens, thrashers, hummingbirds. There's also a Rebel Donut shop that's a short drive away, if you want to give yourself a little treat after your walk.

This was on our must do list!
We started at the Visitor's center, missed the talk unfortunately & headed over to where the petroglphs are located. We didn't have as much time as we would have liked, & the weather was not cooperating. As I started to climb the wind was more than I could take, we later learned winds were gusting at 50MPH. I got partway up & came down. We did return the following day went it wasn't as windy & completed the climb. The path is fairly rocky & there is handrails only in certain spots. So the climb is tricky. But the petroglphs are worth the trip!
Bonus for us we saw a road runner at the visitor's center.

I have petroglyphs near my home. These are a bunch of individual ones and you get right up close. You can really see the images. There are 3 areas to see and all were easy walks

bring your binoculars, the petroglphs are hard to see with the naked eye.
But they are awesome when you do see them.
nice sandy pathway in a loop.

As the name suggest, Petroglyph National Monument preserves petroglyphs carved in the rock. If you enjoy hiking, this is a great site. If you don't, this is probably not the site for you, as hiking is pretty much the only activity at the site and the only way to view the petroglyphs.

I took a short walk to the top of a hill. The trail was steep, but the top of the hill provided a good vista of the city of Albuquerque. There were plenty of petroglyphs along the trail, some easier to see than others.

There are also a few extinct volcanoes in a different location. I drove out to this site, and the volcanoes are visible in the distance from the parking lot. There are hiking trails which go out to the volcanoes, but I did walk out to them, as I was not prepared for a longer walk.

First of all the trail was walking through a lot of sand. It was not easy to walk through for an over 2 mile walk. Secondly, unless you have 20/20 vision you can’t see them. I thought the petroglyphs would be on large tan rocks but they were on black lava rock that you could barely see. It was so bad we turned around and gave up. It could have gotten better but we will never know.

This was amazing, unfortunately some of the petroglyphs have been damaged by uncaring people who think it’s ok to put graffiti on these historical writings.

This is a low key national park that is full of natural beauty and ancient petroglyphs. Start with the short video at the visitor center. Than you can drive a short way and walk Your choice of trails. The petroglyphs are up close and amazing.

Leave at least 2 hours to give it a quick visit. Nice shaded picnic sites as well the rangers are helpful and friendly.

We did the middle loop. It was nice to go for a walk in the dessert. But many of the petroglyphs looked as if they were done in the past decade. A round face with a ball cap is hardly a thousand years old. You have to strain your eyes to find and see the petroglyphs. I did not care for this visit. It was however, free.

Terrible. Closed due to stupid government shutdown. Entrance totally blocked off. What a waste of time. Would have liked to see.

There were tons of these to see also there are multiple locations of this place . I liked the one where the trail head starts off basically in town right behind a car wash,I felt it was the best and glad we started there. We went to the other trail head where the visitor center was ,there were probably more but not as distinct and there was a bunch of vandalism that people had scratched on the rocks so you kind of questioned what was original and the walk back was long and uneventful.So the first one I would recommend if your gonna go.

Right in the middle of the west side of Albuquerque. A few places you can visit along a multiple mile stretch.

We did a little sidetracking until our GPS got us to the correct place. The ranger station was sparse but we did get out to see some petroglyphs in the short time we had.

My husband and I decided to go to the Rincanado canyon hike, and we absolutely loved it. It’s fun looking for the petroglyphs! Also, don’t get discouraged if you don’t see many at the beginning of the hike. You’ll see plenty.

As others have said, bring plenty of water ON THE TRAIL, do not leave it in the car. Also, there is no shade so make sure you’ve got lots of sunscreen and all that. I would say this is an easy hike, only moderate if you have issues walking through sands or small inclines. It took us just about an hour to complete.

The visitor center is pretty small but everyone who works there is very nice. They only have latrines available for the bathroom fyi.

I visited the Boca Negra Canyon area, which is probably the most accessible unit of the park. It was a little rainy on a weekday, so there were no other visitors. There are lots and lots of amazing petroglyphs to see. It was interesting to think about what the carvings may have meant to those who made them. Overall, a great park with interesting history. I only wish I could have stayed longer to visit the other areas.

There are many places in the SW that have petroglyphs such as Saguaro NP and Petrified Forest NP but nowhere have I seen a place with such an abundance and diversity of petroglyphs as you have on the western side of Albuquerque. It is truly something you should take the time to see. There are multiple petroglyph sites with various walks as well as a plain to the west above the town that has three small hills, the former volcanos that created the basalt rock used for making petroglyphs.

Our group visited both the Volcano Day Use area and Rinconada Canyon, both of which have nice 2.5 miles hikes to see the sights. In addition to providing great views of Albuquerque and the mountains, the Volcano Day Use area helps you understand the geologic past of Albuquerque and what create the source for all these petroglyphs. It is here you can see how the western plateau mesa drops off as you approach the Rio Grande valley and where the drop off is, the rim is littered with basalt rocks for petroglyphs.

In addition, Rinconada Canyon is at the base of that rim. Here hundreds of those rocks have carved with petroglyphs. There are two more sites in the park that have petroglyphs. However, we chose Rinconada because it has the most and most varied. The 2.5 mile walk here winds along the base and you get to see the dozens of petroglyphs. I will say to see the best, you have to walk all the way to the very end. If you do, you will be rewarded. In November both walks are very nice. All in all, one of the better National Monuments to visit and a real gem for Albuquerque,

Just a short ride from the middle of town. See the movie first and talk to the volunteer ranger; he is great and knows about the other NM Parks also. Relatively easy walk up to the top; great views.

There are apparently 15,000 carved images from Pueblo people and Spanish settlers which is the largest petroglyph site in North America. The visitor center has info on the park and activities. Short drive to Boca Negra, Rinconada and Piedras Marcadas Canyons where you can hike to various petroglyph sites. We took one of the shorter hikes but took a wrong turning and ended up on the overlooking ridge and had to take a shortcut to catch the path. We didn’t see as many petroglyphs as we wanted – many blended into the rocks. We were told to take care not to step on snakes, including the venomous rattlesnakes

Boca Negra has a nice parking lot and two of the hikes were short and relatively easy. There were signs along the way pointing out some of the petroglyphs. There were plenty to see.
Make sure to visit the actual visitor center a couple miles down the road.

This place is worth a stop, but that's about it. To be honest I was a little disappointed. We only went to the Boca Negra area and did the two short hikes. We did see a few nice petroglyphs, but not nearly as many as I expected. There were also so many "fake" ones scratched into the rocks by vandals that it really bothered me. Perhaps the other two locations in the park are nicer and have more to see. I'll try them next time and do another review.

We truly enjoyed this trip. Be sure to stop at the visitor center so you know where you are going. I will say that out of all the National Parks, Monuments, etc. that I have been to this was the only one where I have encountered what seemed to be irritated and verging on rude staff. Perhaps it was just a bad day for him!
We were happy to find trails that dogs are allowed on and our pup enjoyed the hike through the petroglyphs with us. We saw rock squirrels, lizards, snakes, and even a coyote while hiking. Oh, and don't forget, MANY petroglyphs. Take your time to look at the rocks and you will find the petroglyphs. On our way back we even encountered a National Parks System staff member hiking the trail on duty who was happy to answer a few questions for us.
We came during March, which I would recommend. I hear that it gets sweltering and miserable during the summer months. We came during the morning and enjoyed our time hiking and pondering the petroglyphs.

The area was beautiful and the petroglyphs were interesting. The website said 2 hours, but I would double that if you actually want to hike all 4 areas and we are not slow! We only got to 2 areas in the time we allocated based on the plan your trip on the website. Facilities easily accessible and parking is a breeze. The visitor center only allowed 2 in at a time and there was a long line, so we diid not go in. We would go back to see what we missed.

This National Monument has several very accessible trails in MW Albuquerque for a good, morning hike. Some of the trails have bathrooms at the trail head, but don’t plan on any other amenities along the way. There are signs that point out the significant petroglyphs, which are very easy to see amongst the volcanic rocks. There is a visitors center where you can get maps, but there are no trails leaving from the visitors center - you will need to get back in your car and drive to a trail.

This is a site I hope everyone goes to visit if they are in the area. The communication etched in stone from many moons ago when people were guided by the moon, sun and stars help provide a picture of the many struggles the travelers endured. From the lightening petroglyphs to the animals. And some - you just have to use your imagination as to what they might have meant. This hiking path is close to the petroglyphs so you can get excellent closeup views without walking very far. I went to these and brought friends and family to see them as well.

We walked the Piedras Marcadas Trail on a beautifully, perfect day. It was magnificent to see all the different images on the rock surfaces. It’s a great way to spend time, enjoy the scenery and get some exercise.

It amazes me at how harsh the desert environment is in this area and yet there was still abundant life. The Petroglyphs are very interesting and worth the hike. In Spring and Summer bring lots of water.

Both of the areas were wonderful. We particularly like being up by the volcanoes. There is a beautiful view of the city from here and we enjoyed the hiking as well.

The Monument is a park with several walking trails on which one can see a wide variety of ancient drawings left by the indigenous tribes from the area, some 400-600 years ago. When i went to visitor centre there was only a sketch map and brochure to collect, since the start of each of the 4 trails was miles away. I comfortably walked the 3 small trails in Boca Negra Canyon and it took about 60 minutes including some uphill segments and time for photos and enjoying the scenery from the top of the trail. The trails are fantastic and there are many drawings to be seen up close. There are no signs explaining the meaning of the drawings because the descendants who can interpret them disagree on the interpretations and choose not to guess what was in the minds of their ancestors at that time. The utube videos which one can access by scanning the code on the signs, were very informative. The biggest difficulty was getting a uber to find the start of the trail so I had to walk about a mile to get out. The Piedras Marcadas trail was easier to drive up to as it begins directly in a new housing development. The trail was level and sand covered for the most part with just two side trails that get closer to the basalt blocks with rock drawings. It was a longer walk but easier than Boca but because it is not on the basalt plateau and many areas were out of bounds, it was not as good an experience.The vegetation was lovely and the walk is suitable for people of all ages. Note that there is no sun cover or rest areas so walkers have to be prepared.

This is a great place to do a quick hike and see some petroglyphs at the same time. The trail is pretty sandy, so wear good shoes. Dogs are allowed, just keep them on a leash so they don't go into areas they're not supposed to and get taken out by a rattlesnake, because they are here, as well as very large centipedes. But it's a great hike and on the way back you'll have nice views of the Sandias. Lots of people here, but it's a very easy hike and it's worth checking it out.

Perfect for Covid times. This site is an archaeologists dream as there are few places where you can see so many petroglyph's in such a place as you will see here.

Visitors drive to the visitor center (which is closed) to pick up a map that shows three places within the monument area where you can visit the petroglyphs. My wife and I picked up a map and then drove 10 minutes down a road to visit one of the sites. The site included three very small walking trails (all less than 500 meters) from which you could get up close to these amazing petroglyphs. Visiting is all free and it is only about 15 minutes from downtown by car. Do wear shoes and bring water.

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Went to two of the canyons. The first one was close to a golf course in town. Just a parking area no restrooms or water. At first the beginning of the trail you do see many of the drawings, but as you continue along the trail you will see a lot more. Make sure you go to the end as that area is quiet a few. It is a very easy walk with no real inclines, but no shade and soft sandy soil. The second one we went to was the one you have to pay admission to. This one does have flush toilets and water station to fill water bottles. This is a steep climb up to the top. The trail is rocky and in places it has become blocked by rocks but you can still make it to the top. Great views. Again no shade so take water

I visited three separate mornings, hiking the three main trails. The shortest is where seeing the petroglyphs is easiest, but it requires a little scrambling on a weathered trail. The Boca Negra Canyon trail was my favorite, because it was off the beaten path yet you still could see the glyphs throughout the canyon setting. The visitor center needs an infusion of funding to create a substantial learning experience. Very little to see except a gift shop. The monument is such an amazing resource it deserves better.

It’s close to town and it’s nice to see some of the petroglyphs. We walked all the way up looking over the city. It wasn’t bad but I expected more.

Crazy how the acutal trail is basically in a neighborhood. Good walk and lots of cool petroglyphs. Trail has a chain along it but isn't going to stop anyone who wants to be rude from getting closer so glad I didn't see any bad behaior. Make sure you have water, hat, sunscreen etc no shade at all.

My friend and I were spending a few days in Albuquerque and decided to visit Petroglyph National Monument. Both of us had been to sites with petroglyphs that were difficult to locate or far from the trailhead, so we were extremely happy to discover that the National Monument has detailed information about all the trails open to the public and what a hiker might expect to encounter. There are three areas where the petroglyphs are most concentrated; we chose Boca Negra Canyon, as we had limited time and it was the shortest trail (less than 1 mile).

We were delighted and surprised to find out that, despite its brevity, the trail passes by dozens and dozens of petroglyphs, right from the start! The glyphs have been well-preserved and not disturbed by visitors; virtually all of them were clearly seen.

The trail itself is of moderate intensity; there were areas with railings, steps, and a boardwalk but many areas where the hiker must climb over rocks to ascend the hill (total elevation gain less than 120 feet). However, we were able to hike to the summit and back down in under an hour, and viewed so many petroglyphs along the way, that we considered it time well spent!

A bonus at Boca Negra is the availability of restrooms, water fountains, shaded seating area, and picnic tables. The other two trails do not have these amenities, so plan accordingly.

Many thanks to the National Parks Service for its highly informative trail information! We obtained the leaflet at the Information Center, and strongly recommend any visitor to the monument stop there first to chat with the rangers and pick up the trail leaflet.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Petroglyph National Monument, and highly recommend it to any visitor to the Albuquerque area. No matter what your hiking ability is, you will be able to see and enjoy these images that are records of the ancient civilization in this region.

Amazing views once you get to the top, going to Boca Negra Canyon. Great bits of information along the way, we learned so much. Many trails to choose from, something for everyone. Super well kept, with picnic areas that were clean, well maintained, and made to help preserve this amazing piece of history.

We only went a short way on one of 3 trails, we went in the afternoon and it was 93 degrees way to hot to climb a mountain.luckily there were several drawings we saw on our short hike go early am or later in day. We did have a rude ranger at the visitor center acting like she was doing us a favor answering our questions

Very cool for any history junkies out there, we went to the Rinconada trail, 2.2mi round trip. Worth it for a peaceful and quiet stroll.

It's nice to walk out in the desert, but at times you are still reminded that you are in the suburbs, since housing has developed right to the border of the park. Some places you can get to where you don't notice it. So, if you need a nature fix it is a good place to go out walking. But don't expect to "get away from it all". The petroglyphs I felt were somewhat disappointing. But they are easy to find and see.

I have never seen a real petroglyph until this visit...and there they were. There are numerous trails that you can hike, just be aware of your ability to navigate them. We went on one of the shorter trails, did see petroglyphs but were concerned about footing as the trail continued on, so we turned around to head back.

Lots of petroglyphs, especially along the Rinconada Canyon Trail. We went earlier in the morning and were able to see probably close to 100 different petroglyphs. It is free to enter, so definitely worth checking out.

This wasn't originally on our itinerary, but thankfully we found out about it and added it in! Petroglyph National Monument was well worth it! We enjoyed our short hike and we loved seeing all the carvings

One of the best sites in Albuquerque. It features abrupt cliffs formed by ancient lava flows, with many of the boulders revealing etchings from centuries ago. The trails extend from the very short (hardly 200') to a few miles in length. The west side of the Monument has trails that lead around three extinct volcanoes. From the volcanoes, you can look east across the entire city to the Sandias. The area around the volcanoes is one of my favorite places in the city.

I rate this National Monument really high becuase they not only had junior ranger and senior ranger programs but the volunteer working the info outside the visitors center was epic!! He knew so much, provided a ton of useful info and made everyone feel like family!! We had so much fun hiking, sightseeing and just taking in every bit of Petroglyph before we had to move on that it was sad to see it in our rear view mirror.

I had this place on my bucket list for quite some time. This place is very interesting. The trail leading up to the top took us by many artifacts which I hope stay preserved. I highly recommend visiting here, the visitor center has lots of information about the history of it all.

Walking sites are not at Visitor's Center, but they have three trails of various difficulty and location. We did one, and that was enough, didn't need to go to all three, but the one we went to had a wonderful walk, and got to see plenty of petroglyphs. Takes longer than expected for walking distance, since you stop and look a lot along the way. Worth a visit.

Multiple hikes you have to drive to. Easy hikes and difficult ones. Wish they would have signs that explained the petroglyphs. Great views.

We had a lot of fun exploring this park. Lots of petroglyphs, easy to see. Trail was easy as well. Glad we stopped.

If you are going out this way, it is worth taking an hour or two for this. The kids, 9 & 14, really enjoyed it as much as I did. We saw so many petroglyphs, as well as some lizards and a roadrunner. At the very least, it was a pleasant hike, but prepare to get sand in your shoes. Easy to access from the interstate even with a camper, although not sure that would be as true if it is packed. It was a bad cold snap so there were only five other cars. As others mentioned, do go to visitors center first. They will guide you to trail that suits you best. Also great for the younger kids: my son enjoyed being sworn in as a junior ranger. The park ranger that was there made it so fun for him!

Petroglyph National Monument has a central visitor center area (closed during Covid) with no trails nearby. When we stopped by in October there was someone outside who had brochures and maps available. We only had time to visit one of the three locations with trails and chose Rinconada Canyon.

Rinconada Canyon was about a 5 minute drive from the main visitor center area, and had plenty of free parking and a pit toilet next to the parking lot. The trail there is a loop of a little over two miles. The terrain wasn't that interesting, but once you get half a mile or so in, you can see petroglyphs on the rocks. They were quite impressive and it was a very unique experience to walk along the trail and spot so many of them! We spent about an hour along the (very easy to walk) trail, stopping to look for and photograph the petroglyphs.

This was a very easy visit a short drive from Albuquerque, and definitely recommended for a different type of experience.

Super boring
I havent seen any petroglyphs, sadly! Not enough signaling and information!
The visitor center is separated from the park! Weird

Well worth the visit. We went to the Boca Negra and Rinconada sites. Each was very different. The Boca Negra is a hike up a steep and rocky hill and can be a challenge for those with limited mobility but well worth it. The Rinconada is a very easy hike on sand. Both offered different types of petroglyphs but on the Rinconada most were further away so you need to be looking. The only down side is the graffiti carvings left behind by selfish people who ruin it for those of us interested in history. It made you wonder sometimes if you were looking at an ancient petroglyph or some idiot trying to be funny. Overall it was very interesting and informative.

You can see hundreds of petroglyphs in Petroglyph National Monument, hundreds of treasures. Started with the Piedras Marcadas (one of the three parts of this National Monument). Not all petroglyphs are well marked so you must be a bit of a sleuth. Great weather so we could take our time visiting (Sept, 72F) and searching.

In Piedras Marcadas, staff was there to install handrails on either side of the trails so 1) people could easily find their way and 2) hopefully keep people on the trail. The project has just begun so we were still meandering to find the petroglyphs because there are so many side trails, it is difficult to know which one(s) are legitimate.

The pamphlet states you can see 400 petroglyphs there but if you stay on the trail and don’t cheat, there are possibly only about 100. Also saw some interesting wildlife which added to the charm of this place.

If you use Google to get there, it doesn’t bring you to the correct parking area. Make sure you park behind the Valvoline station which is about ¼ miles from where Google takes you (dead end in residential neighborhood) …

I will happily visit the other two parks other times. Beautiful and calm… Hard to believe you can find such a place while able to seeing downtown Albuquerque. So close...

Wife and I visited for a couple hours. We watched the short movie, then did the easiest trail. We saw numerous petroglyphs and the scenery was amazing. Only costs $2 per car.

The Petroglyphs National Monument includes thou of petroglyphs in 3 locations + a separate location to view ancient volcanoes. Go to the Visitors Center first and get maps from the staff. They can give good info about length and difficulty of various hikes to see the sites. They also have a great video about the creation of the petr, volcanoes and Rio Grande Rift. We spent 1/2 day, and only saw a fraction of available sites.
Take water with you and you can buy it at the Visitors Center.

It's a great park with trails where you can explore hundreds of petroglyphs. The visitors center is top-notch, offering an excellent film on the site, and a collection of books and souvenirs. Of course you can get your National Park Stamp in your "passport" while there.

There are three major areas in the park with trails. We picked Piedras Marcadas canyon and hiked most (if not all) of the trail. There are tons of petroglyphs easily observed from the trail. At the start of the trail, we saw a couple of road runners among the rocks. Cool!

Be advised that you're walking on sand, sometimes packed firmly, and other times softer. You need good walking shoes and bring your own water. No restroom facilities at the trails. In the sand, you can see all the footprints, and it seems that many people leave the trails to go explore on their own. I don't know if that's technically allowed.

Short hikes at 2 of the locations led to many easily viewed petroglyphs. There are some areas that involve some ability to get around rocks and boulders, but the 4 seniors in our fami.ly group were able to manage it.

Worth a visit. The petroglyphs are fairly rudimentary. The walk was pretty. We took the trail that was described as the most difficult with 400 petroglyphs. It was not difficult unless you started by climbing the hillside instead of taking the trail. There were rangers available the day we visited.

Super cool to walk by the rocks and see the amazing petroglyphs. It’s a very flat unshaded area, so easy to hike - mostly sandy paths - but bring water and start out as early as you can. Also, the trails are all drives from the Visitor Center. We did the Piedras Marcadas Canyon whitch is about seven miles from the Visitor Center. it actually starts out in a very residential area. No bathrooms..

Loved wandering amidst the history and particularly enjoyed the volcanoes in the western part of the park. Was saddened by how hones have bee built so close to some parts of the monument.

Learning about these in school (years ago…) was nowhere near as exciting as it was to visit in person. Very glad we stopped by the Visitor Center to learn about each site we could visit. Even in March the sun was intense so water and sunscreen are a must as you trek out to see these. Great trail marking and info signs along the way.

What an amazing place.
You are able to drive there in less than an hour from downtown Albuquerque.
There are so many drawings that it would take days to see all of them.
Wear good shoes and take plenty of water to drink.
Listen to the volunteers, they have seen it all and know what you will encounter on the trails.

There are several different viewing areas, all of which are protected by chains which keep viewers at a good distance from the actual petroglyphs. In some areas, it feels like the distance is too far to get a good look, but there are areas where you get to see an amazing variety of ancient artwork. That makes the trip worthwhile, as the petroglyphs are truly amazing.

I flew in, heading to Gallup. I stopped here to see the site. I watched the movie and hiked the Rinconada Canyon trail. It is very sandy. I walked the full loop trail and came back with dirt in my shoes to dump out. I saw some petroglyphs. It was neat but I wasn't overly impressed. I wanted to hike the volcano trail on the west side, but didn't have time. I did drive over and the view of the city would be beautiful.

We spent a couple of hours here looking at the carvings, of which there are plenty. It's fascinating that what you're looking at is American art from hundreds of years ago. On the other hand, you get the feeling that a lot of it could have been done by adolescents, in which case you're looking at early American graffiti. Either way, it's a worthwhile adventure. Bring water!

Take it slow and you will notice many more than you thought you would. Trail partially marked, but an easy walk. No facilities nor water, so take care of business before hand. It is located in an extremely developed so there is ample opportunity to take care of these things nearby. Nice, friendly volunteer guide spoke with us and made sure. Everyone had a map.

Easily accessible this place offers peteoglyphs in the hundreds. They are doing some restoring which seems to be necessary due to vandalism (e.g. per gun shots!)

We have see many petroglyphs before and almost passed on visiting the Monument. We are glad we went--it is excellent.

The Visitor Center is in great shape and was staffed by very friendly and knowledgeable folks. Don't miss the 15 minute film. It is very well done and has better quality and substance than many similar offerings in National Parks.

After the film we walked the Rinconada Canyon trail. There is excellent parking and a rest room at the trail head, and the 2.2 mile loop is very clearly marked. You are mostly walking in soft and predominately level sand akin to a beach. This trail presents no problem for reasonably ambulatory seniors. That said, it must get quite hot in the summer, and there is no shade except from the canyon itself.

The petroglyphs become visible about a third of the way in. Many are obvious, but it is also kind of fun to visually search for them in the higher canyon rocks.

Dogs are welcome on this trail and it looked like people from the area use the trail for regular pet exercise (which is fine). Overall there were very few people on the trail when we visited on a Friday around noon.

Especially if you haven't seen petroglyphs, this is a must-visit place.

Can't tell what is ancient and what is current graffiti. The park is open, anyone can hike in after hours. It is a very hot area and you are out hiking. Recommend not visiting in the summer, current temps are 100 at this park. There are 3 areas to visit, all within 5 miles of each other along the same thorough fare. Visitor center is nice.

There are several different sites within the park suitable for all levels of accessibility. Very interesting and worth a few minutes on the outskirts of ABQ.

This is well spread out over 3 locations. Options for however long you want to walk. Even the shortest section has an amazing amount of petroglyphs.

Gorgeous views. Able to enjoy the area and being outdoors during COVID 19. We just hiked to the closest site. Walking paths are rocky and sandy so need to wear proper footwear. It was a shame that we saw many dogs and people left bags filled with poor along the trail. There was an area with some benches and an amazing view. A family was having a picnic under the pavilion. I would go again.

We enjoyed the movie at the visitors center and my husband and I enjoyed the short hikes even though it was extremely hot that day. I was disappointed that there weren’t any accessible trails for my dad to visit on his mobility scooter.

This place offers a great stroll looping around a lot of petroglyphs. Please stay on the trail & don't walk too near to the rocks. I sound like a ranger, but it is important to understand that any human contact can damage these great pieces of ancient art. Regarding the meaning, it is complicated, current pueblo people have tried to interpret the symbols, but it will stay a mystery what they really signify.

lots of petroglyphs along the trail at the national monument with good explanations provided

from the parking lot its about an hour easy walk on the loop trail

in the summer time during mid day make sure to bring enough water

We hiked at the Piedras Marcadas Canyon which is about a 6 mile drive from the visitor center. We scanned the QR code and listened to the audio tour on our phone. It gave interesting information about what you see on the trail. The main petroglyph trail is well marked and you see many different groupings of petroglyphs easily from the trail. We opted to take the longer route back through the desert. You get a pretty view of the city from this trail. However, it isn't well marked and we ended up walking farther than we expected to return to the trail head and our car. Double check the map and pay close attention to any trail markers if you opt for the longer route back.

Even during the government shut down you could explore parts of this park. The bathrooms remained clean and stocked.

I recommend visiting during off season when it is not so hot.

If you like history, especially Native American history, plan to spend all day at the park. There are three different canyons all within a very short distance of the visitor center to hike around and see petroglyphs.

Just an FYI, the Rinconada Canyon hike was around 2 miles round trip and parts of the trail is sand and the park service has completely chained off access to the rocks. Without binoculars or a fancy camera lens, you can only see a few petroglyphs. In my opinion, it wasn't worth hiking the trail in the super hot summer heat to see just a few. Bring water!

The Piedras Marcadas Canyon was my favorite. The petroglyphs were just everywhere! You can climb on the rocks to look for them and to see them up close. I saw the largest kokopelli that I have ever seen to date. If you enjoy looking for and photographing petroglyphs, bring a lot of water because you can easily spend half a day here. I easily spent 3hrs at this site and had to leave because I was out of water.

The Boca Negra Canyon has tons as well. The trail is very distinct and you have to stay on it. However, the trail takes you up close to the petroglyphs. If you are short on time, I suggest this canyon.

This walkable meander through the Petroglyph National Monument Park is an amazing collection of hundreds of symbolic ancient Indian rock carvings. The pathway does involve some occasional climbing and embedded rocks, but can be done even by someone with slightly limited mobility, particularly the shorter two trails within the easier portion of the park. The only down side is the number of rock defacings perpetrated by previous visitors, dare I say, vandals. The rangers at the park office were most helpful in providing a bit of the history of these remarkable features and suggesting ways to see them.

This walk took about 2hrs round trip with stopping and looking at the Petroglyphs. I would recommend going early in the morning or later in the day so you don't get burned by the unforgiving sun and there is no places for shade.
I also would not recommend walkers or strollers due to some dips and drops that are lined with timbers on the right side closest to the rocks.

Overall the Petroglyphs are great to look at and the majority are in the middle of the trail on the back part of the cliffs. there also is markers to help you see and understand the drawings.

Free parking right at entrance and not closed due to covid.

These are spread over three sites. The visitor center is not the trails.
All sites have parking and toilets etc

If you've ever seen anything properly ancient you aren't likely to be impressed.
The drawings are 20yds plus and roped off. Hard to see and pick out.

To put these into perspective most are only 400-700 years old. In the rest of the world great art masterpieces and buildings (cathedrals, castles etc) were being created. Meanwhile these people were scratching bird shapes onto rocks!
Even the older ones are not exactly Stonehenge!

Be ready to hike and to climb but it is all worth it to see a part of history. Well maintained and easily accessed. It well worth the visit.

Due to the government shutdown, we were not able to tour the visitor's center. There are three trails that you can hike, and all are free. We hiked the Piedras Marcadas trail, which was just over a mile. You can see several petroglyphs along the hike; however, there is minimal signage to point out or explain the images. We had both wished that there were explanations of what some of the different symbols meant. The trail is a soft, slightly packed sand. It was easier to walk on in a beach.But it is not firm enough if you are not sure footed.

We enjoyed stopping here for a bit over an hour to see some of the petroglyphs. We had stopped at the visitor center before entering the park to get a map, go to the visitor center for a souvenir and talk to the informative ranger. The carvings were nice to see, but it was difficult to tell which were real, and which were graffiti. We had read that this park had a higher than normal crime rate as far as car breaking, but we didn't have any problems, luckily. Nice road trip stop.

We hike here every visit we make to ABQ. The area is beautiful and the trails are fun to explore. The rock cravings are enchanting to view. We found the staff is very helpful and friendly. High recommended.

Great fun trying to find the thousands of petroglyphs. Hint: this is a great place for binoculars! This is a very easy walk, and a great place for dogs.

Very interesting never had this type of experience before
Stop by visitor center before going to see site
There are two different trails one that is easier if you can not climb

This is a National Monument located just west of Albuquerque. This is a must see for people who like petroglyphs. We visited the north unit, where there is a trail that passes near hundreds of petroglyphs. Definitely worth the stop. Dogs allowed on this trail.

Old Indian etchings on volcanic rock. Some climbing involved, but at least two of the sites don’t require that much effort.

You will get a challenging workout climbing on most of the trails. While there are places where steps are poured there are more places where you are climbing over uneven rocks.

If it is your first time be sure and stop at the visitors center. They are very helpful and there is a very informative short video.

It is a National Park so there is a per care fee to enter. You can use your lifetime pass.

We went to Boca Negro. We took the shorter flatter trail. Our friends took the longer trail with more slope. All very interesting.

We visited three of the Petroglyph Monument sites and loved them all. Some do have some climbing involved while others just take some hiking. Either way we highly recommend taking time to check out this free attraction.

There are 3 areas of this National Monument. Rinconada Canyon Trail was easy hike with lots of petroglyphs. 2.2 miles round trip

Be sure to make the time to travel to the trails. All trails are within 15 minutes of the visitors center. There are no trails at the visitors center - no an issue and the center is a good resource for information. The trails are well marked and my kids made a game of finding the petroglyphs. Good outdoor activity.

If you want to have easy views of the petroglyphs, I would go to the Boca Negra Canyon area. Some people find the trail a little challenging, but it is less so if you have gotten adjusted to the altitude and there are handrails in many places. Great view at the top of the city! I went to the other sites (Piedra Marcadas and Rinconada) and saw very few despite walking quite far in sandy soil in the sun; maybe it was the lighting or the phrase where they say "the petroglyphs reveal themselves to who they want to". Obviously not me that day! Volcanoes area is also a nice hike (but no petroglyphs) with trail options for all ability levels.

This is quite a large collection of petroglyphs. We found it surprising because of its proximity to a large populated area.

We were limited on time, so toured the Piedras Marcadas Canyon area due to it having the most petroglyphs within a single walk. It was well worth it as we saw hundreds of petroglyphs along our walk. It is so nice to see that they protected this area as there are housing developments right up to the boundaries of the park.

We visited several areas. One was a 3 minute loop, one was like a walk on the beach in flat sand and the third was straight up and down on jagged volcanic rocks., so pick your pleasure.
Note that the visitor station is informational and has a pit toilet but no trails start from there. We felt safe and our car was fine. We could see a subdivision from the whole thing. Definitely go and see the carvings. I would go to a more remote one next time.

There are different options of trails and we did the one at Piedras Marcadas canyon, a few miles drive from the visitor center (ask to see the film there) because we were told that it had the highest density of petroglyphs. To be honest, we've seen petroglyphs before in various places but the amount and variation we saw here was absolutely STUNNING! There are thousands in this spot, we saw hundreds easily. You park behind a commercial area, which illustrates how close development managed to encroach before the park was developed but once you head out on the trail you quickly are in another place and time. The trail has been recently upgraded by clearly marked paths and a map with 6 or 7 markers - it's an easy walk, mostly flat. Keep going to the right when you are given the option and make sure to go to the final marker which has the abundance of hand symbols. At marker 5 (if I recall correctly) you can go off path and walk among an amazing variety and number of them. A remarkable national treasure.

It was fun to hunt for the petroglyphs along the marked path, and certainly fascinating to see the evolution of how they came to be while attempting to interpret what they symbolized. We downloaded the NPS app (National Park Service) for an audio companion to maximize our observations and understanding, which ensured we didn’t miss any of the key stations (1 or 2 of the markers were absent, unfortunately). Because we stopped here on the way to our destination, we took the short course (2 or 3 mile hike, if I recall correctly). We visited in May, and although the weather was mild, water bottles/backpack and sun hats were beneficial for those of us who used them. (Those who didn’t were miserable.) No bathrooms along the trails - fair warning.

The most disappointing event was incredibly minor and a bit perplexing (perhaps cultural ignorance on our part): one of the markers stated something to the effect of “it would be inappropriate to ask the culture to interpret the petroglyphs.” One of our group responded , “well, how can we better appreciate and learn more about the culture and what was important to them if we can’t ask about the drawings, what they may have meant, and why they may have been important?”

This was so fasinating to see all of these ancient drawings in one local. We were able to get so close!

Wonderful petroglyphs and easy to hike trail for older and young as well. The trail is easy to navigate and well marked. There are facilities and safe parking. The petroglyphs are wonderful although there has been some vandalism to near by rock faces. Worth a trip, takes about 1 1/2 hours if you stop to gaze. There is a bench about halfway. Take water, good place for dogs and be sure to pick up after them.

We went to the monument and picked up a map and then drove to Boca Negro. I was able to do to the 2 easier trails with a small assistance from my son. There were only a few places where I needed a hand to get down a section of rock. It is a beautiful place and well worth the visit!

Great visitor center. I believe there are 3 trails to choose from, which you need to drive to each one. We did the one that had 400 petroglyphs and was about a mile long. It was well worth it. The trails begins in the middle of a neighborhood, but quickly expands to the wild. You will see many petroglyphs on this trail. I picked up a $3 guide at the visitor center to help decipher them. The trail isn't strenuous, but will get hot. Bring water and wear a hat! The petroglyphs are interesting to look at and a lot of fun to find.

The one disappointing thing (at no fault of the park) is that some random jerks out there have decided to draw their own pictures on some of the rocks. Seriously, what is wrong with these people? This place is sacred, and the history can teach so many people so many things. I don't know how people who deface property like this can sleep at night.

Fascinating to examine the many petroglyphs and try to decipher the inscrutable etchings meanings. There are numerous very clear and stylish carved images along 3 short trails here - the climb can be a bit hazardous in some spots, but not too difficult for most folks. Enjoyable hike with impressive icons to be seen.

We love the trails at Boca Negra Canyon. There are three different trails for three different levels of hikers. I mean, one is literally 5 minutes and you still get to see Petroglyphs!

Even if you aren’t in the greatest shape I highly recommend. There is a trail for everyone from 0-100! We have 3 teenagers and they loved it!

We took the Rinconada Trail because the ranger said it would be less crowded (we were visiting during Fiesta week). It's a short drive from the ranger station. You don't really start to see many petroglyphs until about 3/4 of a mile in, but it's fun looking for them. I do wish I'd brought my binoculars.

We spoke to a park volunteer who said that this is her favorite trail because it's the only one that feels away from civilization (which aligns with my memory of a previous visit on a different trail where you could see houses). She said that tribal people still use the area for ceremonies and that the meanings of the petroglyphs are passed down through the elders and not shared with outsiders. I think it's kind of cool knowing that it's not just history.

The Petroglyphs are so cool. The trails are relatively easy, and you get to see so many interesting and unique images on the rocks.

Even though most of the glyphs date to @1300 AD, it was very cool to traverse the trail and rocks and see all of the "art" from a long time ago. It's the things you dream of as a child. This is the thing that I'd recommend doing first when in Albuquerque. I hope to go back someday.

Right on the edge/in Albuquerque, several short trails available to see some petroglyphs without much effort. A good gem for a national park. Some spots on the trails can be steep. Please also stay on the trails and don't deface the rocks to preserve the area.

This is a site where you must go with the intent to observe and not touch. Also know your limits. There are several trails and the one with the most petroglyphs is straight up a rather steep, rocky hill. I was unable to traverse that. I chose two of the more level trails due to my mobility issues but had no troubles as far as that was concerned. They are relatively short walks. There weren't an overwhelming number of petroglyphs on these trails (in theory about 100). It was amazing to be in this sacred space. I am glad I made the time for it. Also go early in the morning. I was there soon after it opened to visitors and even then it was hard to find a place to park.

There are actually multiple areas that make up PNM. I would suggest heading to the visitor center first to learn about the area and get maps of the different trails and what each offers.

It was a nice walk / hike around the various trails. Some of the petroglyphs were fun to try and decipher but after a walk it just became just another walk on a trail. I think it worth visiting.

Packed full of petroglyphs around every corner. I only did one trail and I hope to go back and walk the other routes.

Saw quite a few petroglyphs on the hike up a small hill. Have to watch your footing in some places. Bonus view from the top. Also some short flat walks.

Very easy drive out. Open areas with easy hiking. Take water & snacks (if needed) because there is nothing out there in area. Good comfortable walking/hiking shoes. Review internet site 1st so you will know what to look for. With a family this is perfect because it’s FREE.

A good way to spend a few hours. Did a few trails. Definitely go to visitor center- friendly and will advise. Also free map- which is accurate with level of trail and length. We like to hike and do walking trails, this was perfect