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Sport & OutdoorHistory BuffOutdoor Adventure

Petroglyph National Monument

6900 Unser Blvd NW · Albuquerque, NM

Why you should go…

Spread across 17 miles of West Mesa escarpment, Petroglyph National Monument protects an estimated 24,000 carved images, many visible on short trails at Boca Negra Canyon. The rock art ranges from spirals and animals to Spanish colonial crosses.

  • #petroglyphs
  • #hiking
  • #history
  • #national monument

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Petroglyph National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Tours
    Iconic

    World Balloon

    $50+

    Sunrise hot air balloon flights over Albuquerque's Rio Grande Valley and Sandia Mountains.

    3.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

    Under $25

    Museum created by New Mexico's 19 Pueblos showcasing Pueblo art, history, and living traditions.

    5.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Shopping
    Local Gem

    Old Town Albuquerque

    Free

    Adobe storefronts, turquoise jewelry stalls, and a 300-year-old church around a shaded plaza.

    5.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Sandia Peak Tramway

    $25–$50

    One of the world's longest aerial trams, lifting riders 4,000 feet to a summit overlooking five states.

    16 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    History Buff

    Bandelier National Monument

    Under $25

    Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings you can climb into, tucked in a canyon below the Jemez Mountains.

    51 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano

    Under $25

    Self-guided trails to a lava-tube ice cave with year-round ice and a volcanic cinder cone near Grants, New Mexico.

    63 mi awayMore like this