Petroglyph National Monument

We had an enjoyable afternoon experiencing two of the three canyon trails. It was helpful to stop at the Visitor Center first to receive a map, including the address for one of the parking lots, and use the restrooms. It is odd that the start of the Piedras Marcadas trail is basically a parking lot behind a gas station. Boca Negra is the shortest trail, but it also went up, up, up a rock formation. It was a clear trail, but you will do some mild bouldering. There were nice views towards Albuquerque at the top.Piedras Marcadas was a wide open dirt walking trail with several loops. Really neither would be great if you have physical limitations, since these aren't paved trails.You see a good number of petroglyphs on both trails, but are closer to them at Boca Negra. We skipped Rinconada Canyon since it is the longest trail and we ran out of time.You can bring pets, but they must remain on leash. Make sure to bring your own water and use the restrooms at the Visitor Center since there aren't facilities at the trail heads. We saw petroglyphs in some other parks and historic sites in New Mexico, but these were the largest collection and in the best condition.

What an experience! An easy walk and over 400 petroglyphs! Bring water and sunscreen. Be sure to scan and follow the audio...it's a wealth of information.

Petroglyphs NM was a blast! I went in October for the solar eclipse, and really loved this area. It's a bit different than other parks in that the visitor center is removed from the actual drawings. So get some maps, info, and head back in your car for more!There are three locations to view the petroglyphs. I loved the winding sandy trails, but they can be very hot and barren. The drawings are easy to see along the paths, and some have unique designs! This is an excellent and free area to explore, close to ABQ, and definitely worth a stop!

A must-visit if you're in the ABQ area - can do this as a quick trip or as we ended up doing, a half day adventure starting off with the visitor center including outdoor movie and gift shop, where we picked up the junior ranger materials, then driving over to do the hikes. my kiddos usually don't like the whole walking outdoors thing so initially planned to do just the 5-minute hike however they thought that the petroglyphs and rocks were so cool that we ended up doing the 30-minute one and I think they could've handled more! Helpful and friendly rangers, clean bathrooms, well-done facilities, so grateful that these are preserved for us and future generations to enjoy

I was amazed at the changes and improvements in 30 years. I my family came here in the 80's on a family vacation. The walking trials are labeled and have hand rails as well as steps in many places. I was disappointed to see how the rocks were splitting and some of the petroglyphs were disappearing. In a few generations they will probably be gone for good. Great park and easy trails but not ADA so wear proper shoes and be ready for a little hike up to see some of them.

The hike starts at a different parking lot than the visitor center ( had to get back in the car and drive down the road). This is an easy hike but there is no shade along the way. Seeing the petroglyphs was very cool. We did not see 300 or so that was mentioned, so it would have been nice to have a bit more signage or a reference map for where to look. Got some great pics of the ones we could find though.

Our third visit to the Petroglyphs park, this trip we brought our children to explore-starting with the Boca Negra Canyon: the path climbed up the mountain, complete with some built in stairs, railings, and signs to help navigate the path- our daughter enjoyed the climb, which was centered more on overlooking the NM landscape, and very little petroglyphs onto the Rinconada Canyon: a long flat path 2.2 mile walk, offering landscape views, but again very little petroglyphs; we ended up having to carry the kids the majority of the way, as there wasn't a lot to hold their attention besides the occasional path lizardfinished with the Piedras Mercadas Canyon: this offered the most compelling views, ample petroglyphs along a shorter more scenic walk all the trails were moderate intensity, with railings, steps, boardwalks, and well marked path areas- they also had information signs, shaded seating areas, and picnic tables-all were time well spentwe recalled enjoying our experience sight-seeing years ago, with kids in tow the best was definitely Piedras Mercadas, but still recommend entire park

My husband wanted to come here and see this in person. Super cool to see all the drawings on the rocks. These carvings have been here over 1200 years. Super cool experience.

Rule of DrawPetroglyphs National Monument is an interesting park, as it's not all centrally located in one area but broken up into five disparate areas (including the Visitors Center) scattered around Albuquerque and the striving area.1) Visitors Center is a must-stop to get some swag, your NPS Passport Stamp, and some good info from the friendly Rangers. 2) Piedras Mercadas Canyon is the most bang for your buck as far as Petroglyphs go, as you'll get over 400 in a 1.8-mile round-trip trail Please see the separate Yelp page for a more detailed review. 3) Boca Negra Canyon has fewer Petroglyphs (±100) but is a lot of fun for those who like to climb and live spectacular views. Please see the separate Yelp page for a more detailed review.4) Rinconada Canyon has 300 petroglyphs on a short 2.2-mile hike. I didn't visit, so I can't really comment, but see the separate Yelp page for more information. 5) Volcanoes Day Use Area has zero petroglyphs, but some nice views and bikes friendly trail which loops around several volcanoes. I didn't visit, so I can't really comment, but see the separate Yelp page for more information. TLDR: Fantastic park with five totally unique experiences that take longer to drive to-and-from them than to actually take them all in.

With over 700 petroglyphs on one mellow hike, I can't even say enough. Literally pictures can't even do it justice. We stopped at the visitor center first to learn about the different trails and check out the shops swag. The rangers were very helpful at gauging what level of hike we should do and best routes. Once we picked our destination, they gave us a map that has marker numbers and explained how to drive there and where to park for free. Our hike was about 3 miles but included lava, valley views, lizards and squirrels, and the trippiest rock petroglyphs I'd ever seen. Who knew!?!? I can only imagine the views when there were no houses but just volcanoes and more volcanoes.