New Mexico · National Monument trail

Piedras Marcadas Canyon Petroglyph Viewing Trail Stop 7

in New Mexico · centroid 8 mi from Albuquerque

You have reached Stop 7, the final stop in the Piedras Marcadas Canyon audio tour. You are now 1.07 miles, or 1.7 kilometers from the trailhead. Turn around to return to the parking lot which is 0.7 miles, or 1.1 kilometers from this point.

If continue up the escarpment and follow the North Rim trail, it will be an additional 1.4 miles, or 2.25 kilometers to the main parking lot. We cannot say for certain what all the petroglyph images represent. It is inappropriate to reveal the meanings of some images according to local Pueblo people.

Some images are recognizable and can be identified based on current anthropological studies. Such images include human handprints like the ones found here, which can be found at pictograph and petroglyph sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley and the San Juan Basin. While these human handprint images are located along the escarpment, the Ancestral Pueblo people did not live here; rather, they lived in multi-storied adobe villages along the Rio Grande Valley.

States: New Mexico
Trail type: National Monument trail
Centroid nearest city: Albuquerque, NM · 8 mi · ~15 min drive
Centroid coords: 35.1862°, -106.6969°

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-7.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 7 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.