Petroglyph National Monument

The Quick List: 🏔️ Scenery: 4/5 💎 Uniqueness: 4/5 🚽 Facilities: 4/5 🎭 Atmosphere: 5/5 🎟️ Logistics: 5/5 (Ai outline, but completely my opinion and written by me.) The Details: 🏔️ Scenery: Cool petroglyph and igneous rocks scattered around little trails. Nice view of mountains and desert as well. 💎 Uniqueness: One of a few national parks that features petroglyphs. 🚽 Facilities: Facilities were pretty good, there was a gift shop, information center, the volunteer was extremely helpful, tells you everything you need to know. Vault restrooms near trails and visitor area. Also there were some shade areas to rest. 🎭 Atmosphere: Few people when we came, but not to the point where we felt completely desolate. The park is mainly for you to self-explore. 🎟️ Logistics: Just drive on into the visitor center, get some info, then drive to nearby petroglyph areas/trails, simple as that. 🌟 Top Tip: Make sure to go to the visitor center, you get all the info you need.

Prehistoric petroglyphs! On 27th December 2025, we visited Petroglyph National Monument with our friends. This place represents the ideas and traditions of the indigenous Pueblo people and early Spanish settlers. We opted multiple self-guided tours to explore this place. Trails in Rinconada Canyon and Boca Negra Canyon are excellent places to see the petroglyphs which are carved onto the volcanic boulders. Next, we explored volcanic field of this area via the Volcanic trail which offered stunning views of the surroundings and bases of dormant volcanoes. The park is well-managed and preserved. All the trails have interpretive signs to understand the context, cultural significance, and possible meanings of the motifs. The park staff are really welcoming and assisted us in understanding the directions. The visitor center offers a beautiful selection of souvenirs.

Petroglyph National Monument is a fascinating place to explore, with a good variety of trails—some short, some longer. It’s important to note that many of the trails are not very mobility-friendly, as some sections can be narrow, uneven, steep, or require walking across jagged rocks. But if you’re able to navigate them, the petroglyphs are absolutely worth it. They’re incredibly cool to see up close, with a wide range of figures and designs carved into the stone. The park staff were excellent and provided very educational insight into the Native American and Spanish histories behind the carvings. A memorable visit and would easily recommend if you are in Albuquerque!

I want to share this because we found it just too fascinating. We learned about petroglyphs from a speaker when we visited the UFO museum in Roswell. He talked about the ones carved into rock by Aliens, however this area in the pics have 100's of petroglyphs carved into volcanic rocks by the Indians as a form of communication. The Indians lived in the basin area in 3 tiered Adobe structures. We walked the trails thru the huge rocks and boulders and I could not stop taking pics. I will share just a few. You need to go visit. There are many areas to hike and see more.I The last pics are of the Newspaper Rock located in the Petrified Forest in Arizona. Enlarge it and you will see many petroglyphs

We went here during the government shut down. The staff was still there! Giving directions and answering questions. Now the visitor center was closed of course but they were still outside the gates to help us. Wonderful humans! They didn't have the passport stamps at the "Main Gate" but drew a date stamp for me in my book. That guy made my day doing that. I loved him for doing that. When we got to one of the trails they had the stamp there so I got both ❤️. It made a sad situation in our country that more memorable because of the human nature, kindness, regular people sharing an experience together, for each other. It was amazing seeing the art someone left behind so long ago. Trying to understand what they were thinking. Seeing a captured moment in time of the thought of another human being. Some make perfect sense and some you will walk away wondering what in the world was that. If you get the chance take a walk where others have stepped for so long.

Really neat place. Much larger than I thought. Started at the middle parking lot and walked to the rinconada trail to the south... thats a good distance away and not many petroglyphs along the way. Turns out there's 3 parking lots... north , central and south and I think even on the back side fir the volcano. After the south trail I drove to the north and there is neighborhoods and gas stations and restaurants in between... feels like an entirely different park but its connected. This was my first time getting ours of petroglyphs and I had no idea it would be so fun to find them hidden in the rocks. Gonna add this to my list of things to photograph as I travel.

Another Great NPS site. Its a little spread out, but the hikes are doable and lots of glyphs to see.

It’s a nice place to pay a visit if you are in the way to Arizona. Went to the Visitor Center and learn about the history and old Pueblo rock carvings known as the Petroglyphs. Before the hike, you may be encouraged by the information ranger, to watch a short video near the gift shop so that hikers may appreciate the monument. There are a few trails and the easier and short trails can find around 100 over petroglyphs. Other trails can have more than 200 of them. I do enjoy the visit and getting some souvenirs.

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 lizard finished 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 spent we 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 Draw Petroglyphs 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.

I went to Boca Negra Canyon for a quick sunrise hike. It was empty on a Sunday morning and I had the place to myself. I'm not sure if you normally have to pay to park there but no one was there to collect the fee and there weren't any envelopes to pay. You can drive right up to the trail head which is nice. The trail is quite short but steep and rocky. It is easy enough for an adult but it might be hard for a young child to scramble up the sharp rocks. There are petroglyphs all along the trail so keep an eye out!

We loved Petroglyph National Monument. We were leaving Albuquerque on Easter when not much was open, so we came here just to kill time, but we ended up really enjoying it. We stopped at the visitor center first and talked to a person there about what the best hike would be for us. She recommend one at the far Northeast (about a 6 mile drive away). After checking out the gift shop (really nice assortment of stuff at decent prices) and picking up some sunscreen there, we headed over. It was a beautiful sunny day in the 70s, so it wasn't hot at all, and the walk of mostly flat and not difficult at all, and maybe... 3 miles? But when they say "bring water" they mean it. We didn't bring water and I was dying of thirst by the time we got back. Remember that the very dry climate and the higher elevation make a difference. Bring water! So we took the trail and it was well marked. As you walk, you will see petroglyphs scattered throughout, but the trail has little markers at places where, if you stop and look right there, you will see a lot of petroglyphs. So it's very easy to find them. We really loved seeing the pictures of art, and also wondering what the significance was (because no one knows). Definitely worth the time!

Nice view, free to walk around and lots of different locations. Free parking right next to the trailhead and you don't have to walk very far to see the petroglyphs themselves, although they aren't super impressive.

Petroglyph is a good place to take visitors to go see, especially if they are new to NM. The visitor center itself is nice..and they do play videos so you can just sit and watch. The actual center also smells wonderful like a spa...which is different from their public restrooms next to a parking space that are so full of flies. Yuck. You can't actually hike from the visitor center..but get to choose from 2 places (that are just 5 min drive away): 1) Boca Negra Canyon or ) Riconada Canyon. I personally had gone to both and enjoyed Riconada Canyon more. The Riconada Canyon trail is flat, dog friendly, has more Petroglyph to see and perhaps takes around 1.5 hrs walking in a loop (go in the morning/late evening to avoid the heat, especially during the summer please!). Boca Negra Canyon's trail isn't super long..doesn't seem to have as many petroglyphs to see..but the trail has inclines..so it's probably not suitable if someone in your group isn't comfortable with inclined hikes. Overall, quite ok places to visit. It costs just $1/car to go on a weekday and $2/car on weekends...such a good deal. The other negative thing may just be...sometimes the trail doesn't have clear directions...so you kindda have to guess where to go along the trails.

Offering three points of entry this park is exceptionally large and would cater to whatever you're looking for. Hiking paths in the open area allow you to see the dormant volcanoes. At an alternative entrance you can walk for 1 1/2 to 3 miles depending on which path you take and see the awesome petroglyphs in the canyon. My only comment is that the paths could've been marked just a little bit better, particularly if you take the one less traveled. Highly recommended opportunity to get out, stretch your legs and see some amazing archaeology.

The parking and drop off area are close together. It's about 1/4 mile hike to the Piedras Marcadas canyon and 3/4 to Rinconada canyon. You either have to walk or bike to the trails. No shading at all either. Sounds fun, right on a warm and sunny day? Parking fee is $1 for weekdays and $2 for the weekend.

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.

Make sure you go to info location first before going to any of 3 location. This is run by the the us parks. We went to shorter one since our time was limited. Easy trails. Strenuous one isnt bad. Not as many petroglyphs as the claimed.

Only have 15-30min? Head to the Boca Negra Canyon. The trails are tricky for footing but very short and very close to the parking lot and restroom. You'll spot maybe 10 petroglyphs in a short period of time. This is the busiest location and doesn't allow for much distancing on the trail as the trails are narrow, tricky, and short. Want to stretch your legs but not do any climbing? Take 40-60min to walk the sandy trail at Piedras Marcadas Canyon which is entered through a suburb cement sidewalk but then opens up to sandy wild canyon area with large trails and tons of petroglyphs.

We checked out the far side with the 3 sisters volcanoes. It was a quick half mile walk to the first one from the parking lot, but note that you can't climb the volcanoes. You get some pretty good views of the mountains and the city though.

Petroglyph National Monument is a place to come to if you are interested in seeing petroglyphic drawings that are carved on rocks typically by a stone chisel and hammerstone. At this national park, there are over 24,000 carved images that were left by New Mexico's first settles. If you stop by the visitor center (which you can pick up a map), it is only open from 8:30 am- 4:30 pm (or 10 am- 4 pm during winter hours). There are no trails here though and you must drive to the other 3 locations for the trails, which are free except Boca Negra Canyon which requires $1 for parking free during the week day and $2 on Saturday and Sunday. This trail is NOT dog friendly but seems to be a fairly easy trail but is primarily all uphill and very rocky. The parking lot here closes at 4:30 pm and is strictly enforced so do plan your time accordingly. Rinconada Canyon is a trail that allows dogs on the trail but only on the non petroglyph section of the trail. This is the longest trail of the 3 locations, round trip is about 2.2 miles. The parking lot is closed at 5 pm. Peedras Marcadas Canyon is also a dog friendly trail. This is also the furthest away from the visitor center. The trail here is under developed and is about a 1.5 mile round trip. According to the map, there are about 300- 500 petroglyphs here. The Volcanoes Day Use area is dog friendly and is a place you can drive and see scenic overlooks of the valley. But please note that there are no petroglyphs here. My husband and I drove to the Boca Negra Canyon (after picking up a map at the visitor center) on a very windy Tuesday around 3:30 pm last month. We did end up bringing our little girl dog with us but placed her in our special K9 dog backpack so that she could be part of our hike (and not walk on the trail since dogs are allowed but technically there are no rules about her being in our backpack). I would not recommend coming here on a cold and windy day. The wind was incredibly strong and actually caused me to lose my balance and ended up with a few bruises on my knees (the wind also blew my glasses off my face which freaked me out for the quick moment since I can't really see that well without them or contacts). It was not crowded on the day we came (what crazy people would want to come on a really windy day?). If you do not want to go for an uphill hike, then you can walk over to the picnic area (there are also restrooms available here) where you can see and walk over to so more petroglyphs.

A great place to do some casual walking and spotting petroglyphs. The trail we did wasn't strenuous at all and is a great place to go if you're looking to get out of the house. Forewarning, there is little to no shade so be prepared with sunscreen and whatever else you think you'll need. It can get pretty hot and although it is a shorter trail, water is a must. I enjoyed scouring the rocks and finding all the petroglyphs. Some are pretty well hidden and you really have to look in order to find them. Overall, I enjoyed this trail and liked that it wasn't as crowded as some more popular ones.

The visitors center is worth a quick stop. It's in the gift shop. It'll take you about 10-15 minutes to review everything. The video is dated. The staff is friendly. The restrooms are next to the parking lot. I'd recommend the Rinconada Canyon hike. It's just over 2 miles. It's easy. We unfortunately hiked it in the late afternoon when it was still hot out. Be sure to bring water and sunscreen.

Piedras Mercadas Canyon is one of several viewing areas in the entire park. It has the densest concentration of 20,000 petroglyphs. You MAY see 400 from this one, 1.5 mile loop! Or you can see the coolest monster and spacecraft petroglyphs in my 20 photos!

3 miles is plenty and long enough to see the well preserved petroglyphs. Trail is well marked just follow the arrows on your right going and heading back. I recommend to go when it is cool. Almost 60 degrees in February and slight breeze was nice, keeping the sand cool for my dogs paws. It's a good workout with the distance, sand, length and time. At the top it opens up and there is a nice pine tree to take a break before heading back.

Volunteers, docents and rangers work hard. Most are friendly. So it was surprising that after waiting for a loud family to vacate the movie that things went south. I'm hearing impaired. Loud, distorted sounds are headache inducing within seconds. Of course the gift shop worker only knew that the audio on the outdoor TV was loud and distorted. But that didn't stop him from quickly coming out and chastising me for turning the volume down. 'It has to stay that loud.' We were the only ones there. I already was in pain and wasn't going to debate with someone who didn't understand that when the customer is the only one present and there's no sign saying you can't adjust the volume that maybe you should let them adjust the volume. My wife explained after I walked away. Then it was fine - he told her it would be ok to leave it turned down. Even without the hearing aids the audio was too loud and distorted. They need a couple of rear speakers for groups. But with just two people? Thankfully we had aspirin in the car. But the exchange left me irritated. The change in volume wasn't damaging or permanent nor problematic. And to rush across the deck as if I was murdering a small animal? When there's no sign saying to ask for assistance. And when there's no acknowledgement that folks generally don't fiddle unless there's cause. Yeah. As for the video - it's online. Watch it there. And this facility isn't offering anything in terms of things to see. Those are all at other locations.

Really cool place to hike and walk and look at ancient scribbles on rocks. Came here for a quick visit and it was interesting place to hike and walk for a little bit. Unlike some of the other national parks and monuments, this place is located right next to a residential area which was very unusual. It's very small and consists of only a few small trials to hike and look at the art carvings. The walking paths are well maintained very clean and I like all the educational signs that explain what you should be looking for. Small place to kill a few hours, would not go out of my way to come here.

My kids loved this place. It wasn't overly big, but enough to keep them occupied. They completed the JR packet and were sworn in as JRs!! Kids - don't forget to pick up your Junior Ranger packet from the visitor center, complete & get sworn in by a Ranger!! Note: We had to drive to another location to see the petroglyphs. They can help you here and provide you maps. This is where the visitor center is.

Stop at the visitor center before going to the different canyons if you want maps, information, and your National Park Passport book stamped. I stopped in to have page 63 stamped in my book and purchased a cool sticker at the center to affix next to it. Free parking.

Nice sandy trail. Clear clean path, helpful friendly staff with knowledge of history. Many trails to choose from with varying distances Free! We enjoyed the free parking too! Take water 1-2 bottles a person.

What a beautiful day to clear the mind and take in a relaxed one mile hike amidst volcanic rock *make sure to bring stable shoes and keep an eye out for typical desert critters & slithering things* featuring a display of historical petroglyphs (ancient rock carvings) in their original state. I constantly marvel at how amazing it is to live here in NM and have access to so much beauty. It's estimated there may be well over 25,000 petroglyph images over the 17 mile stretch of monument area and that appx 90% of the monument's petroglyphs were created by the ancestors of today's Pueblo people. Today we explored the Boca Negra Canyon Trail, looking forward to hiking the other two (Piedras Marcardas & Rinconada Canyon). $1 parking during the week, $2 parking on weekends.

Came on a Saturday, neat spot. Went to do the volcanic trail and Rinconada Canyon Trail. Both were pretty flat, volcanic trail goes to three volcanoes but only one of the trails to the top was open. Volcanic trail didn't have any petroglyphs but Rinconada Canyon had a few, along with signs that pointed them out. No shade for the hikes and parking lots were a bit small, but it's worth checking out!

We were in Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta and decided to do some "non-balloon" related sightseeing. The Petroglyph National Monument was a relatively short drive from the Balloon Fiesta grounds and offered a nice change of pace. There is a nice parking area and a number of trails (walkways) that allow you to get "up close and personal" with the petroglyphs which are Native American drawings craved/painted into (onto) the face of the rocks. Some folks refer to the petroglyphs as Native American graffiti. There is also a National Park Visitor's Center that has a short video and provides some history/background on the site. The primary trail is about a 1-mile loop and has some ups and downs but is not overly difficult or challenging.

This place was so great! We were just passing through but wanted to stop and see the petroglyphs. We had our two dogs with us so we chose the Piedras Marcadas Canyon path. Super easy, sandy path that was only a 1.5 mile walk. Plenty of petroglyphs to see and was a lot of fun and easy for our doggos to walk!

What a great place to visit. Bring the family and take the time to find all the great sights!

The Petroglyph National Monument is a short drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico's City Center and consists of three different entry points across a five mile distance. My husband and I visited during the government shutdown and were able to double park and squeeze through the fence to walk along the Rinconada Canyon Trail - which was allowed, but not recommended. But it was WELL worth it. Along the trail we were able to see some cool petroglyphs along the quarter mile and half mile markers. My favorite petroglyph was the deer, which can be found at the half mile marker. It seemed a little daunting at first to try to find the petroglyphs, but once we found some, my husband and I started treating it like a game. Who could find the most petroglyphs?! Obviously, I won! The coolest thing about the petroglyphs though is standing near a space that was meaningful (and may still be) to our nation's first citizens, so many centuries ago.

Wonderful Park. All trails well marked and while some are difficult for a 70-year-old...I made it with help! Unbelievable, the number of drawings that were within arm's length. The docents were exceptional. Most areas are not centrally located in one area, but detailed driving and walking instructions are given. I was in awe and excited as a child each time I discovered a new petroglyph as I walked the trails. I could have spent all day there.

A fun site to check out if you are intrigued by petroglyphs and in the area. The monument includes a small visitor's center, a few hiking trails, and pretty views. The physical address on the website to use for GPS will direct you to a small visitor's center. They have a large parking lot with outdoor restrooms. The visitor's center has some merchandise and an employee that will provide maps and directions. None of the hiking or sites are at this location. The Boca Negra Canyon area was recommended to us by the employee in the visitor's center. The entrance is just a few minutes down the main road with an entrance fee of only $2. While the parking lots aren't large we easily found a spot and the lot was never full. Within the Boca Negra Canyon we did the Mesa Point Trail. This trail is labeled as steep and strenuous, but was really not a big deal if you exercise regularly. We saw older people really struggling, but even pregnant I wasn't struggling. The trail is steep for short distances and you will have to watch your footing since it's rocky. The whole trail can be navigated in about 30 minutes. This is the only way to view the petroglyphs up close. There are information placards in several places to explain the petroglyphs and general history of them.

This yelp page is for the visitor center, not the actual sites for the petroglyphs. There are no petroglyphs trails at this location. This is a nice little gift shop with a restroom inside. You can buy a guide of Boca Negra or just chat it up with a ranger. NOTE - You don't need to come here to see the Petroglyphs, simply drive north up the road to Boca Negra. There you will pay $2 a car on weekends, or $1 on weekdays. TIP - if you have kids be sure to get a Jr. Ranger kit and fill it out. They will get cool stuff like patches and pins if they compete it..

Great flat hike. 2.2 mile loop. Lots of petroglyphs. You can't go right up to them. They have a knee high gate all the way around. They do have problems with car break ins while people are hiking. Don't leave valuables in plan sight. Dogs are aloud on some trails but not all. We didn't take ours due to possible rattlesnakes. Great family hike.

The petroglyphs are amazing, not only for their visual quality but for their history and mystery. It was well worth the time to stand and contemplate the people who made thee and think about the many possible reasons why and what some of them might mean.

If you're in Albuquerque you have to hike at least one of the petroglyph sites. I actually would call them "casual walks" rather than hikes, except for one of the three Boca Negra trails which is a hike up the side of a hill that's quite Rocky and might not be as easily accessible to someone with knee injuries, etc. If you're in shape or at least have no physical disabilities, even this one is likely going to be relatively easy for you. We were able to make time for all three trails at Boca Negra and also Piedras marcadas. Unfortunately as others have also pointed out some of the volcanic rocks have been vandalized with graffiti or people thinking it's cool to put their initials on hundreds of year old historic monuments. One other slight issue is some of the signs in front of various plants or the informational placards in front of certain petroglyphs must be quite old as they have excessive sun damage and in one case the entire placard was just white, nothing on it was legible. Hopefully one day they are able to replace these cards. The informational sheet at visitor center does say boca negra might take an hour - I'd say that's true if you're doing all three hikes and not rushing through them. I also expect during non-pandemic times that the trails are busier so you may need to wait (granted in pandemic times you should be waiting too for social distancing). Highly recommend putting on sunscreen, of course. Piedras marcadas is also quite short. It definitely took us less than an hour round-trip and we were going relatively slow so as to observe the rocks and try to see more petroglyphs. It is quite fun to find different ones, point them out, try to think of what they might symbolize, etc. Overall very short and sweet walks that are interesting. You really should see them if you're around Albuquerque.

Why not stop here and learn the history. Coronavirus update (July 23rd): All trails are accessible, and all facilities are open. Direction Visitors traveling on I-40 take Unser Boulevard exit north three miles to park visitor center; five miles to Boca Negra Unit. Rinconada Canyon: Exit north from I-40 on Unser Blvd. Boca Negra (formerly Indian Petroglyph State Park): Take At the northern end of Atrisaco Drive via Montaño Road. Piedras Marcadas (formerly Volcano Park): my favorite area due to wildlife here, rabbit, quail, lizard etc Accessed from Paseo del Norte exit west from I-25, to Paradise Blvd. Sites: There are three distinct petroglyph sites-Rinconada Canyon, Boca Negra Canyon and Piedras Marcadas Canyon. Begin your visit at the visitors' center for details and maps. There is no hiking trails here. Enjoyed it!

Went to Petroglyph NM one day when in ABQ. We didn't have a lot of time so we went to Visitor Center first open daily 8:30-4:30pm MST and talked to the ranger and watched a video. We had to drive 2 miles North, 10 minutes, to see one of the sites where the Petroglyphs were clled Boca Negra Canyon. Think we did about 30 minutes worth of walking, there are 3 short trails. Had to climb a bit to see but there are lots of petroglyphs there. There was a small fee to park, like $2 I don't remember. Would have been interesting to see the other sites if I ever come back: Rionconada Canyon; Piedras Marcadas Canyon; Volcanoes Day Use Area (no petroglyph viewing).

Fantastic petroglyphs. Spent a couple hours there looking at the various glyphs. Due to limited time I will need to go back to see their second site.

Coming to petroglyph national monument was a last minute decision for us and it was quite nice. We came here after a large brunch and the path we chose was actually quite relaxed and not that tricky. We walked the path for about 1.5-2 hours and then circled back. Personally, I wish that we had more time to understand the petroglyphs rather than read the descriptions on the plaques but it was still fun to look for the petroglyphs on the stones. I feel like young kids would enjoy this as an activity for sure. The path itself is straightforward like I mentioned earlier and turned into a nice leisurely walk for us! However, the trails itself are not by the visitor center and you drive up a bit and then park your car in one of the lots.

Some cool history here! There's a video at the visitor center for those so inclined... A few different hiking trails are available. We had some time to explore in between balloon fiesta events so we checked out Boca Canyon, which has three short trails. You can pretty much get up close and personal with the petroglyphs, which is kinda cool. All the others I've seen have been at a distance through binoculars! $2 parking unless you have a national park pass, then it's free.

Just a fast 1 mile round trip walk from the car and you can see a ton of cool stuff. The hike on the Mesa point trail is all over volcanic rock. The path up and down will put you up over 1 mile above sea level, then back down. As Albuquerque is generally flat the view from the top of the Mesa trial has a magnificent view. The park is great, it's so close to town it would be horrible to miss it. They have a junior ranger program for the kids. When you complete the activity you get iron on patch that's really sweet. Here's the thing, there are a ton of archaeological sites all over the place. The fact is that most of them are so far out of town that you got to be on a road trip to hit it. This is literally right in Albuquerque's backyard. Do not miss it! And remember if you're there and the weather is not great just wait a few minutes and it will change.

Wow. We only had time for a quick hike, so checked in at the visitor center then headed for the Boca Negra trail to see some petroglyphs. It was a quick hike and we saw so many! Good signage helped us learn more and the views at the top were stunning. Not a difficult hike, but you do a bit of scrambling, so not for people with mobility issues. After, we went back to the visitor center and watched a 20-minute movie that explained more about the area, how the Rio Grande was formed, the significance of the area to indigenous people, and how the petroglyphs became protected. A wonderful experience that didn't cost a penny. Great morning outing in Albuquerque!