Symbols from Long Ago in New Mexico
Written: Oct 28 '04
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Pros: Beautifully maintained trails; wonderful petroglyphs.
Cons: Not wheelchair accessible; no shade.
The Bottom Line: This is a great stop. It's easy to find. Even if you've seen petroglyphs these will be a treat.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Petroglyph National Monument |
On a Sunday in June 2004 while in transit we stopped at Petroglyph National Monument and walked/hiked the Boca Negra Canyon Trail. Perhaps it was the heat but other than one lone woman we had the trails to ourselves.
General Information:
This National Monument is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its purpose is to preserve one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. I have seen petroglyphs. In fact in Hawaii and Valley of Fire in Las Vegas there are “fields” of them. However these were perhaps the best I have seen in terms of clarity of figures.
Located in Albuquerque’s West Mesa it is figured that there are at least 20,000 petroglyphs along what is a volcanic escarpment. The West Mesa escarpment (An escarpment is "A steep slope or long cliff that results from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations." from yourdictionary.com) is 17 miles long and made up of a ridge of basalt boulders created by volcanic eruptions that occurred about 130,000 years ago.
You are asked not to touch the petroglyphs – not only are they fragile but every touch will change them forever! Damaging them is a federal crime. Glass containers cannot be brought into the area; vehicles are allowed on roads and in parking lots only. Pets are not allowed.
We went through the first entrance and paid $2.00 (weekends; $1.00 weekdays) and followed the road to a parking lot. You can park right by another Ranger’s booth and get right on the trail or park to the left a bit if you want a little more walking. This is where Recreational Vehicles have to park. Although we were in a car we parked here as well. There is a short trail from here with a sign that says to watch for snakes. We didn’t see any and the path was clear enough that I didn’t foresee being surprised.
There is a visitor center at Las Imagenes where you can get orientation on park trails, special events and guided tours. However the Monument and trails are not here. The Visitor Center, if you choose to go, is open 8:00AM-5:00PM. To get there take I-40 and use the Unser Boulevard exit. Go north three miles for the Visitor Center and five miles north to Boca Negra Canyon, which is also open 8:00AM-5:00PM.
Before I talk about the trails and what we saw I want to explain petroglyphs since people sometimes get them confused with hieroglyphics. Petroglyphs are records of cultural expression and have huge spiritual significance to modern Indian tribes. Some images have direct meaning to Native Americans in the area. There are others whose meanings have been lost over time.
The entire escarpment spans 17 miles. Many of the petroglyphs you won't see and the ones you will see were done in what is called the Rio Grande style which developed around A.D. 1300 – A.D. 1680. Many of the figures we saw were in this style. They include human figures playing what looks like a flute, masked figures, animals of all sorts – birds, reptiles and insects and hands, feet, spirals and four pointed stars.
Hieroglyphics is a system of writing, in which pictorial symbols are used to represent meaning or sounds or a combination of meaning and sound. from yourdictionary.com. In other words hieroglyphics represent letters and a written language of sorts. Petroglyphs are symbols.
My experience:
Boca Negra Canyon, which is the area where the trail is, has just 4% of all the petroglyphs found on the escarpment. So you have an idea that you won’t see quantity but the quality makes up for that.
The first trail we went on was called Mesa Point. It says that it takes 20 minutes but it took us about 35 minutes. It was a very hot day and in just this short time my husband and I each drank a bottle of water. Much of this trail is over volcanic rock so it isn’t an easy walk (i.e. not a walk in the park) but I wouldn’t call it strenuous or even moderately strenuous though the guide that is helping me write this (as well as my notes) call it moderately strenuous. There were areas that had nicely done cement steps and hand rails. All the trails were very well maintained.
Although we did come across an occasional cigarette butt and at one point something that was obviously graffiti and not a petroglyph, it is a beautiful area. You will notice on this particular trail that at the beginning there are a lot of great pictures and then they seem to stop. Keep going. There will be a couple of short side trails with wonderful pictures. One of the side trails will take you to the top. You can see dormant volcano cones from here. The grinding spots you’ll see which look like light gray patches on the rock are thought to be areas used to sharpen tools, prepare medicine or grind corn and seeds.
The second is a very short trail. It takes about 5 minutes and is called Macaw Trail. At this trail we found some reprieve from the sun. There is a covered picnic table, a shaded restroom area and water fountain. There is no shade on the trails at all so make sure you wear a hat and sunscreen. The Macaw Trail is named after two of the petroglyphs you will see. You will also see petroglyphs here that are thought to be yucca seed pods. The root of the yucca seed was used to make soap and other parts of it were roasted in pits for food. You’ll walk just a few steps up and down with a hand rail and find these pictures.
The last trail called the Cliff Base Trail will take about 15 minutes. This is unfortunately where we saw some vandalism including one eye of a star image being damaged. In addition the rocks are a light brown which has developed over centuries and now because of this damage the color is gray. I found it very sad that people would ruin things that are irreplaceable. You might see some rabbits and lizards (real not pictures) here. We saw a couple of rabbits and many little lizards. There were fantastic petroglyphs here in spite of the destruction. Some were of crosses, people and a turtle. This trail was paved with gravel on top and for the most part was very easy. None of this area is handicapped accessible. You may be able to see some pictures especially if you have binoculars but they have kept the rocks in tact and made steps thus making it inaccessible to wheelchairs.
Jo’s final thoughts:
The Petroglyph National Monument which is the Boca Negra Trail is well worth a stop. We didn’t have to travel far from the highway to get here. In fact we found it because of a sign on the highway and decided to stop. This is not a hike so don’t go expecting a hike. Although some of the areas are a bit difficult to maneuver much of it is not in my opinion. You can see that the entire trail will take you less than an hour – perhaps a bit longer if you stop and take in the shade or rest at the picnic table or have a picnic!
This is a wonderful stop for your children. It is quite safe just make sure they stay on the trails.
Although small compared to the fields I have seen it is above average to excellent in terms of quality and ease of seeing the petroglyphs. You don’t have to be a hiker or mountain climber to see some wonderful pictures.
Have fun, be careful and leave only footprints; take only pictures please.
Feel free to leave me a question or comment.
I am keeping track of the reviews I am writing chronicling our 3-month cross country trip:
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Buckstaff Bathhouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas
Bicentennial Mall State Park in Nashville, TN
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Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN
National Civil Right Museum in Memphis, TN
Graceland in Memphis, TN
Rum Boogie Cafe in Memphis, TN
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma
Souper Salad in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Taste of Thai a San Diego restaurant
Handlery Hotel in San Diego, CA
Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles, CA
Kan Zam restaurant in San Francisco, CA
Polker’s Gourmet Burgers in San Francisco
Holiday Inn Express in San Francisco, CA
Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma, CA
Antelope Island State Park in Salt Lake City, Utah
Montreal Holcaust Museum
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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