City: Albuquerque, NM

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (505) 899-0205

Description: This monument covers 7,236 acres on the 17-mile-long West Mesa escarpment, and there are four day-use areas amid the petroglyphs and around the volcano area. The petroglyph images were pecked into the boulders by Native Americans some 300 to 700 years ago, and later Spanish settlers added their own etchings 200 to 300 years ago. For more information on the monument, see the Attractions chapter. It is part of the Open Space network of facilities, so there are various hiking trails and picnic areas, but as this is a protected historical and environmental site, please stay on established trails. Wildlife here includes lizards, rattlesnakes, 6-inch-long dark brown desert millipedes, and the more rare gray slate millipede, about 3 inches long. Plants you might see include prickly pear, purple aster, broom dalea or purple sage, the sculpturally handsome cane cholla, and poisonous jimsonweed. You can go directly to any of the day-use areas, but you are strongly encouraged to go first to the Las Imágenes Visitor Center for trail guides, orientation, and important safety information. The visitor center also has a bookstore and a picnic area. Boca Negra Canyon is the only fully developed area, with restrooms, shaded picnic tables, and drinking water. There are three self-guided hiking trails, which lead you past around 200 petroglyphs; allow about an hour to take all three, or you can take just one or two trails from the parking lot. No pets are allowed here. Boca Negra Canyon is about a 2-mile drive north of the visitor center. Open hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no admission fee, but there is a parking fee of $1 during the week and $2 on weekends. Rinconada Canyon, Piedras Marcadas Canyon, and the Volcanoes area are less developed, with no water available. Dogs are permitted on leashes in these areas, but be aware that there are rattlesnakes, predators, and plants that could harm a dog, so keep your pet close. Trail and orientation information for these areas is available at the visitor center. Las Imágenes Visitor Center is open year round from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.