Mesa Point Trail - Petroglyph National Monument

While at the Petroglyph National Monument in May 2015, we drove to the Boca Negra Canyon section and I hiked up the quarter-mile Mesa Point Trail to view dozens of petroglyphs. I was also rewarded with an overview of three volcanoes to the west and Albuquerque to the east. The trail climbs about 120 feet, but with the base elevation of over 5000 feet, it is rated as moderate. There are two more trails in the Boca Negra Canyon area and additional trails around the volcanoes. If you want to see the entire monument, plan on a full day or more of outdoor activities.

Benches near the parking area

The trail starts at this small bridge

The trail climbs to the top of the mesa

The trail surface is mostly asphalt

A few handrails have been installed on the steeper sections

Lizard

Arrows keep visitors on the trail

A series of switchbacks lead to this view of the parking area

Suburbia extends to the edge of the monument

The edge of the mesa is fairly steep

JA, Black and Vulcan Volcanoes

Albuquerque

Sandia Mountains

Foundation stones atop the mesa

An entry fee is not collected at Petroglyph national Monument. However, a parking fee of $1 per weekday or $2 per weekend day is collected at Boca Negra Canyon as this is a co-managed area with the City of Albuquerque. This fee is waived with a valid America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands pass including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($10 for lifetime), Access Pass (free with documented disability) and Military Annual Pass (free for active duty personnel).

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/petr/index.htm.

Las Imágenes Visitor Center - Petroglyph National Monument

On our way home from our May 2015 visit to the Southwest, we made a short detour in Albuquerque to visit Petroglyph National Monument to stretch our legs. Our first stop was at the Las Imágenes Visitor Center located on Western Trail at Unser Boulevard in the northwest sector of the city. Since the monument is spread out with four parking areas located among three distinct properties, finding the visitor center can be a bit of a challenge when searching on a computer or using a GPS unit. Most searches will either provide directions to the headquarters or to a location off-trail in the monument. The park service is aware of this issue and provides coordinates on its website. The Visitor Center is located at latitude: 35.139; longitude: -106.711.

The visitor center was once the home of Dr. Sophie Aberle, the first practicing applied anthropologist in the country. The visitor center houses the usual information desk, bookstore and gift shop, a single restroom, exhibits and a makeshift theater room. Even if your time at the monument is extremely limiter, adjust your schedule to watch the 21 minute video, A Beautiful Mystery. This recent production is one of the best orientation films I've seen in all our travels. The film includes both scientific and religious discussion of the petroglyphs. The staff and volunteers at the monument seem to be delighted to share the petroglyphs with visitors and they provide excellent directions to the several trailheads in the area. Unfortunately, I don't have any exterior pictures of the visitor center.

Part of the bookstore and exhibit area

The information desk is to the right and the theater is through the door in the back

An entry fee is not collected at Petroglyph national Monument. However, a parking fee of $1 per weekday or $2 per weekend day is collected at Boca Negra Canyon as this is a co-managed area with the City of Albuquerque. This fee is waived with a valid America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands pass including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($10 for lifetime), Access Pass (free with documented disability) and Military Annual Pass (free for active duty personnel).

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/petr/index.htm.