100 Hikes in New Mexico

The Mountaineers Books

Petroglyph National Monument lies on the very edge of the sprawling western edge of Albuquerque.  Along a snaking escarpment of black volcanic boulders, the monument protects an extraordinary collection of more than 15,000 petroglyphs. The artists range from nomadic hunters who visited the site more than two centuries ago to ranchers who chased cows in the area from less than 100 years in the past.  Most of the drawings are, however, from the Ancestral Pueblo people around 500 years old.

…Boca Negra Canyon area where three trails await.  The longest, the Mesa Point Trail, is a bout 0.5 miles long and has the greatest concentration of petroglyphs.  The short Macaw and Cliff Base Trails also pass amazing collections of rock art.

Distance: 7miles for five trails day hike.

Difficulty: Easy

Elevation Range: 5,000 to 5,300 feet

My stats:

Distance: 0.99 miles

Time: 27:04 minutes

Elevation: 5,508 ft

Elevation Gain: 187 ft

This was the worst “hike” in the book.  The Mesa Point trail was an uphill dance between rocks and the the rest was just a walk around the base of a hill.

Here’s the pics:

Wow. The ancient Pueblo people used symbols like our alphabet

Best part of the “hike” was watching these hybrid chipmunk/prairie dog hybrids

100 Hikes in New Mexico

The Mountaineers Books

Petroglyph National Monument lies on the very edge of the sprawling western edge of Albuquerque.  Along a snaking escarpment of black volcanic boulders, the monument protects an extraordinary collection of more than 15,000 petroglyphs. The artists range from nomadic hunters who visited the site more than two centuries ago to ranchers who chased cows in the area from less than 100 years in the past.  Most of the drawings are, however, from the Ancestral Pueblo people around 500 years old.

..The rocks here are decorated with an amazing assortment of masks, snakes, birds, and handprints.

Distance: 7 miles for five trails day hike.

Difficulty: Easy

Elevation Range: 5,000 to 5,300 feet

My stats:

Distance: 2.61 miles

Time: 1:02:27 hours

Elevation: 5,211 ft

Elevation Gain: 236 ft

This was the most fun of the hikes I took in the Albuquerque area.  Lot’s of petroglyphs and room to explore.  I added to the hike by climbing to the top of a couple of mesas.

Here’s the pics:

Never saw a bug like this one before

The mesa I decided to climb

From the top of the mesa

This was much more like it!  Very fun trail with lots of great views.  A great start of the season hike!

From the website:

(2.2 miles) This trail takes visitors through native Chihuahuan desert and into Solitude Canyon, a deep ravine carved into sandstone by flash floods over the ages. Scenic vistas of the canyon and the refuge are favorite photo opportunities. The abundance of burrows, holes, nests, and middens gives evidence to the snakes, lizards, birds, bats, rabbits, kangaroo rats, and other desert wildlife that are active along the trail, especially in the cooler morning and evening hours. This trail loops through the southern edge of the Indian Well Wilderness Unit.

My Stats:

Distance: 2.60 Miles

Time: 56:12 minutes

Elevation: 4,347 ft

Elevation gain: 292 ft

Here’s the pics:

Trailhead

Flower for cedric

headed into the wash

Panorama from the peak

This was the second trail of the day.  Pretty boring stroll.

From the website: