Colorado · National Park trail

Petroglyph Point Trail

in Colorado

The Petroglyph Point Trail offers excellent views of Spruce and Navajo Canyons and takes you past a large petroglyph panel located 1.4 miles (2.3 km) south of the trailhead. The trail follows a foot-worn trail of the Ancestral Pueblo people into the forested Spruce Canyon landscape and along a sometimes steep, rocky path back to the canyon’s rim. At one time, this path connected the community at Spruce Tree House with other outlying sites within the canyon and the rest of the Pueblo world.

The large petroglyph panel seen along the trail, represents the written language of the people who inhabited and traveled through this canyon. More than thirty human and animal figures, spirals, and handprints cover an area of over 35 feet wide. Please do not touch the panel.

Petroglyphs are fragile, non-renewable cultural resources that, once damaged, can never be repaired or replaced. Please respect these places by leaving archeological sites, artifacts, plants, and animals undisturbed for all those who follow you. Trail Description The 2.4-mile (3.9 km) loop trail is narrow, rugged, and rocky, with several steep drop-offs along the canyon wall on the way to the petroglyph panel.

States: Colorado
Trail type: National Park trail
Centroid nearest city: Albuquerque, NM · 178 mi · ~5 hr drive
Centroid coords: 37.1836°, -108.4876°

About Mesa Verde National Park

National Park

This trail is inside Mesa Verde National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/place-ppt-trail.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Petroglyph Point Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

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Colorado