New Mexico · National Monument trail

Piedras Marcadas Canyon Petroglyph Viewing Trail Stop 1

in New Mexico · centroid 8 mi from Albuquerque

Welcome to stop 1 of the Petroglyph Viewing Trail in Piedras Marcadas Canyon. You've hiked 2 tenths of a mile or .32 kilometers. The landscape of this canyon formed about 200,000 years ago with a series of volcanic fissure eruptions.

The first two eruptions yielded extensive amounts of lava which flowed naturally downslope, east towards what is now the Rio Grande Valley. The following eruptions produced thicker lava flows, eventually blocking the volcanic vents and allowing lava to accumulate, creating the volcanic cinder cones. Today, this 17-mile volcanic escarpment is known as Albuquerque's West Mesa.

The volcanic rock produced by the eruptions is a metal-rich, igneous rock known as basalt. Sometimes, basalt has many little holes in it called vesicles. Vesicular basalt is made from gasses escaping the lava before it cools and hardens.

States: New Mexico
Trail type: National Monument trail
Centroid nearest city: Albuquerque, NM · 8 mi · ~15 min drive
Centroid coords: 35.1885°, -106.6897°

About Petroglyph National Monument

National Monument

This trail is inside Petroglyph National Monument, a national monument 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.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/piedras-marcadas-canyon-petroglyph-viewing-trail-stop-1.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/petr/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 Piedras Marcadas Canyon Petroglyph Viewing Trail Stop 1 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

Stay nearby

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Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Albuquerque, NM — 8 miles away (~15 min drive). See accommodation in Albuquerque on Booking.com → RoamFound earns a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we handle affiliate links.