Exploring New Mexico’s nine national monuments this fall

New Mexico is home to nine national monuments scattered across the state, offering a range of landscapes, history and geology to explore this fall. The sites span from volcanic rims and lava flows to ancestral Pueblo ruins and centuries-old inscriptions, with several sites free to enter.

Aztec Ruins is an ancestral Pueblo site about 12 miles northeast of Farmington. The monument includes large public buildings, smaller structures, earthworks and ceremonial buildings, with settlement dating from the late 1000s to the 1200s. Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Entry is free. 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 near Los Alamos. The monument preserves ancestral Puebloan homes and territory and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Entry costs $15 to $25 for a standard pass, and cash is not accepted. The visitor center in Frijoles Canyon is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address is 15 Entrance Rd, Los Alamos, NM 87544.

Capulin Volcano offers views from four states at the volcanic rim and some of the darkest night skies in the country. The monument encompasses about 800 acres at an elevation of 8,182 feet. 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 features young lava flows, cinder cones, lava tubes and sandstone bluffs. Also known as “Land of Frozen Fire,” the monument holds the second largest volcanic field in its province and became a national monument in 1987. The monument is open 24/7. Entry is free. 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 atop sandstone, with a pool of water at the base. The 1,278-acre site served as a resting place for travelers, with names, dates and poems inscribed on the walls. Hours vary by season. Entry is free. The address is NM-53, Ramah, NM 87321.

Fort Union preserves the remains of three forts built starting in the 1850s. The 720-acre site is located in the Mora Valley near Watrous and holds an array of plants and animals. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Entry is free. 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. The caves were used as temporary shelters for thousands of years, and in the late 1200s, people of Southern Ancestral Pueblo made the site home, building rooms and raising children for a couple of generations before moving on by about 1300. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry is free. 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 across 7,236 acres on 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. Entry is free. 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 includes three distinct sites offering a look back at early encounters between Spanish and Pueblo peoples. The 1,076-acre site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966. Hours vary by season. Entry is free. The address is 105 S Ripley Ave, Mountainair, NM.