Petroglyph National Monument

About

Petroglyph National Monument protects a 17-mile volcanic escarpment called the West Mesa on the west side of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Native Americans and Spanish settlers carved an estimated 24,000 images into the basalt boulders here 400 to 700 years ago, and the National Park Service calls it one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America.

The monument is split into separate areas, each with its own parking lot. Boca Negra Canyon has about 100 petroglyphs along short walks and works as a stop of an hour or less. Rinconada Canyon has roughly 300 petroglyphs along a 2.2 mile loop trail, and Piedras Marcadas Canyon has about 400 petroglyphs on a 1.5 mile round trip; either one takes most visitors one to two hours. The separate Volcanoes Day Use Area has no petroglyphs but lets you walk toward its cinder cones instead.

Entry is free and no pass is required. As of the park's hours posted in January 2026, the Boca Negra Canyon gate is open 8:30 am to 4:30 pm daily with last entry at 4:00 pm, Rinconada Canyon's lot is open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and the Volcanoes lot runs 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with foot access at both canyons from sunrise to sunset. Piedras Marcadas Canyon is open sunrise to sunset. The Information Center store keeps hours of 9:00 am to 4:00 pm daily, and the monument closes on Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1.

All of the monument's areas sit inside Albuquerque city limits on the west side of town. The park's headquarters office is at 6001 Unser Blvd. NW, and the Information Center works as the best first stop for maps and orientation before picking a canyon to visit.

Accessibility

Petroglyph National Monument is only partly wheelchair accessible. The Information Center works well for a visitor who uses a wheelchair, but three of the four outdoor trail areas are stated by the park as not accessible.

Accessible parking is set aside at every area the park operates: the Information Center, Boca Negra Canyon, Rinconada Canyon, Piedras Marcadas Canyon, and the Volcanoes Day Use Area. The Information Center itself is described as fully accessible, with parking spaces and chair ramps at the entrance, so it is the easiest stop for seeing exhibits and petroglyphs without walking a trail. Ask at the desk for the park brochure in Braille or large print, and look for the tactile petroglyph exhibit inside.

Boca Negra Canyon has accessible parking, a patio, and restrooms, but its trails are not built for wheelchairs. From the patio near the Macaw trail, petroglyphs can be viewed through a mounted scope without leaving level ground. Rinconada Canyon and Piedras Marcadas Canyon both have accessible parking lots, though the park states their trails are not accessible; Rinconada also has a vault restroom, picnic tables, and shade structures, and Piedras Marcadas has only the parking lot listed as accessible.

The Volcanoes Day Use Area has the only trail with any wheelchair-prepared surface. The route is partial, not the full one-mile length, and the park says funding to finish it is still in progress. This area also has an accessible parking lot, vault restrooms, and a shade structure.

Call the Information Center at (505) 899-0205 before a visit if a specific accommodation is needed. The park does not publish information on doorway widths, sign language or captioning services, audio description, or wheelchair loans, so confirm those directly by phone.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in New Mexico

• National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (Albuquerque)
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (Albuquerque)
• ABQ BioPark (Albuquerque)
• Sandia Peak Tramway (Albuquerque)
• Isleta Casino & Resort (Albuquerque)
• Cliff’s Amusement Park (Albuquerque)

Photo credits

• A large volcanic boulder covered in petroglyph carvings beside a desert trail.: Vulturesong, CC0 (source)
• Petroglyph National Monument official National Park Service image: National Park Service, Public domain (U.S. National Park Service)
• The visitor center building with an accessible parking space and paved walkway to the entrance.: Daniel Mayer (Mav), CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• A close-up petroglyph carved into volcanic rock depicts a humanoid stick figure.: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0 (source)