Finding Hidden Pictures at Petroglyphs National Monument

While living in the Albuquerque area for a nursing assignment, the Petroglyphs National Monument was one of the most recommended places by the people we met. We made the time to visit two of the four sites during our 3-month stay, and we’re glad we did.

Rinconada Canyon

At the end of March, we drove from Rio Rancho to the Petroglyphs National Monument Visitor Center in Albuquerque. We were greeted by a helpful ranger who showed us maps of the sites open to visitors, the restroom options, parking, and closing times.

She also explained the regulations. Because this is sacred ground containing irreplaceable artifacts, the visiting public needs to be respectful and follow the rules.

The ranger recommended we hike the Rinconada Canyon trail, the closest site to the center. The parking is free, and hiking access is open from sunrise to sunset. We learned that the parking lot closes at 5:00; however, there are three parking spaces available outside the gate. We thanked her for the information and, with brochures and maps in hand, headed to our truck.

Arriving at the trailhead parking lot a little after 4 PM, we pulled into the last space outside the gate. The trail is 2.2 miles round trip, with an estimated hiking time of 2 hours. Plenty of time for us to hike and view the petroglyphs before sunset.

We walked about a half-mile up the trail before seeing the first sign indicating a cluster of petroglyphs.

After staring a while at the area described on the sign, we didn’t see the petroglyph mentioned. As indicated in the sign pictured here, petroglyphs choose when and to whom to reveal themselves.

Apparently, it had not chosen to reveal itself to us. 

The sign also explains how the lighting, time of day, and clouds can affect the visibility of a petroglyph.

As we continued to walk along the trail, we saw many other petroglyphs. The largest concentration of petroglyphs along the Rinconada Canyon Trail is located at the back of the canyon.

After we found all the petroglyphs, we doubled back along the same trail rather than taking the loop down the middle of the canyon as suggested in the brochure. Doing this, we hoped to see some of the petroglyphs we missed coming from the other direction.

The gallery below features pictures of the petroglyphs we were able to see on our late afternoon hike.

In addition to petroglyphs, we also spotted a collard lizard and many busy ants making their homes. 

We arrived back at our truck at 6:00 pm. There was one car still in the parking lot, and a park ranger appeared to be waiting for the driver.

Piedras Marcadas Canyon

Two weeks later, on Saturday, April 14, we drove to Piedras Marcadas Canyon, the northernmost area of the monument. The brochure indicates that it has the densest concentration of petroglyphs, with approximately 400 of them along the trail. 

This canyon is in a more developed area of Albuquerque than the other sections of the monument. Following the directions provided, we found the trailhead parking lot behind a Valvoline Oil Change. The lot was busy with cars turning around after dropping off their teenage passengers. After finding an open spot, we parked the truck, leashed the dogs, grabbed the camera, and walked toward the trail entrance.

The trail through the canyon, rated easy to moderately strenuous, is 1.5 miles round trip. It is like hiking on a soft, sandy beach.

About half a mile into the canyon, you will see numbered signs along the trail at locations with high petroglyph concentrations. Even with the signs, some of the petroglyphs were hard to locate.

The walls of the Piedras Marcadas Canyon are the lowest in the park and only reach about 30 feet in some areas. There are no barriers to remind hikers to stay on the trail and keep them from wandering too close to the rocks. Without barriers, hikers were climbing up the volcanic rocks to the mesa at the top.

Here is a sampling of the many pictures taken of the scenery and petroglyphs during our visit to Piedras Marcadas Canyon.

You can find more information about the Rinconada and Piedras Marcadas Canyons at the Petroglyph National Monument.

A visit to central New Mexico wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Bandelier National Monument. It was another amazing hike through history.

Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance copywriter specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas. Visit his portfolio here.

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