Petroglyph NM--Volcanoes

About this Location

The Volcanoes Day Use Area parking lot hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. The lot may close early due to severe weather. This area is officially open to visitors daily from sunrise to sunset. Before or after-hours access is permitted by parking outside of the gated parking lot.

Vault restroom facilities are available at the parking area.

About Petroglyph National Monument

See all hotspots at Petroglyph National Monument

Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and for the descendants of the early Spanish settlers.

Petroglyph National Monument has much more to offer than the cultural resources for which it is so well known. Various types of wildlife utilize this narrow corridor, some in transit during migration, others for their entire lifespan. Plants, birds, insects, and animals, all are part of the ecosystem that Petroglyph holds in this tiny strip of land and all will eventually encounter the millipedes of Petroglyph National Monument.

Another less popular but well-known resident of the monument is the rattlesnake. This landscape is home to several varieties, please be careful when you are visiting the monument. Follow this link for some guidelines about dealing with our legless friend, the snake.

These remnants of erupting volcanoes, which produced the basalt that became the canvas for people for thousands of years, stand starkly against the western horizon. A moderate hike will take you partway up some of these volcanic cones. Be sure to stay on the trails. It takes decades for this fragile volcanic landscape to recover from a single footstep.

While hiking in the Monument, you will notice a wide range of native desert plants.

Notable Trails

Volcanoes Trail
Distance: About 3.5 miles round trip loop from the parking lot to the JA Volcano and around the Vulcan Volcano back to the parking lot.
Difficulty: easy to moderate

The entire trail starts at the parking lot and goes past the JA Volcano to the scenic overlook, up to the Vulcan Volcano, and back to the parking lot, with sweeping views of Albuquerque and the Rio Grande Valley throughout.

JA Volcano and the Albuquerque Overlook
Distance: 1 mile round trip from the parking lot to scenic overlook and back.
Difficulty: Easy

This sub-section of the trail departs from the parking lot and heads east to a scenic view of the Rio Grande Valley, Albuquerque, and the Sandia Mountains. You will have to turn around the way you came back to the parking lot to complete it. This trail has two shaded rest areas with benches.

Vulcan Volcano Loop
Distance: 2 miles from the north side of the parking lot around Vulcan Volcano and back.
Difficulty: Moderate

This sub-section of the trail can be found by going to the north side of the main parking lot near the gate. The trail along the eastern base of Vulcan is difficult to find but do not give up. A gradual incline up the east side of Vulcan leads to a level, mini-volcanic valley on Vulcan’s north side. Continue on the trail and go left (south) when you approach the ‘Y’ on the northwest side of Vulcan. At next ‘Y’ go left again for an up-close look at this well-preserved cinder cone. Follow the trail down, continuing south on the old road which leads back to the parking lot.

Content from Official Website and Petroglyph National Monument Official Website