Petroglyph National Monument

Bernalillo, New Mexico, US

Volcanoes

91 species

Petroglyph National Monument

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87120

Official Website
Petroglyph National Monument map

About this Location

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.

Content from Official Website