New Mexico’s nine national monuments, mapped
New Mexico is home to nine national monuments spread across the state, offering canyon country, ancient ruins, volcanic landscapes and centuries-old inscriptions. The sites range from free ancestral Puebloan settlements to a monument with views of four states, with hours and fees that vary by location.
Aztec Ruins is an ancestral Pueblo site about 12 miles northeast of Farmington. It consists of structures made by ancestral Puebloans, including large public buildings, smaller structures, earthworks and ceremonial buildings. The settlement dates back to the late 1000s to 1200s.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, with free entry. The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a museum and 15-minute film. The address is 725 Ruins Road, Aztec, NM 87410.
Bandelier covers more than 33,000 acres of canyon and mesa country with petroglyphs. Located near Los Alamos, the monument preserves ancestral Puebloan homes and territory. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Standard passes cost $15 to $25, and cash is not accepted. The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Frijoles Canyon. The address is 15 Entrance Rd, Los Alamos, NM 87544.
Capulin Volcano showcases the volcanic geology of northeast New Mexico. The monument encompasses about 800 acres at an elevation of 8,182.
Volcano Road is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Standard passes cost $10 to $20, and cash is not accepted. The visitor center is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The address is 46 Volcano Highway, Capulin, NM 88414.
El Malpais is a landscape of young lava flows, cinder cones, lava tubes and sandstone bluffs, also known as “Land of Frozen Fire.” It holds the second largest volcanic field in its province and became a national monument in 1987.
The monument is open 24/7 with free entry. The visitor center is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address is 1900 E Santa Fe Ave, Grants, NM 87020.
El Morro preserves the remains of a prehistoric pueblo on top of sandstone, with a pool of water at the base. It encompasses 1,278 acres and was used as a resting place for travelers, with names, dates, poems and more inscribed on the walls.
Hours vary by season, and entry is free. The address is NM-53, Ramah, NM 87321.
Fort Union preserves the remains of three forts built starting in the 1850s. Located in the Mora Valley, it holds an array of plants and animals across 720 acres near Watrous. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966.
Hours are daily 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free entry. The visitor center is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with “oversized” parking for campers. The address is 3115 NM-161, Watrous, NM 87753.
Gila Cliff Dwellings sits above Cliff Dweller Creek, where caves were used as temporary shelters for thousands of years. In the late 1200s, people of Southern Ancestral Pueblo made it home, building rooms and raising children for a couple generations before moving by about 1300.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free entry. The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The address is 26 Jim Bradford Trail, Mimbres, NM 88049.
Petroglyphs is one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, with designs and symbols carved into volcanic rock. It covers 7,236 acres along Albuquerque’s West Mesa. Established in 1990, it is a partnership between the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division.
Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with free entry. The visitor center is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The address is Western Trail NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120.
Salinas Pueblo Missions offers three distinct sites looking back at Spanish and Pueblo peoples’ early encounters. The site encompasses 1,076 acres and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966.
Hours vary by season, and entry is free. The address is 105 S Ripley Ave, Mountainair, NM.
