Petroglyph National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument stretches 17 miles (27 km) along Albuquerque, New Mexico's West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city's western horizon. Albuquerque is where it stands. Management falls to the National Park Service. Last counted in 2025, visitors numbered 311K.
A national monument inside Albuquerque
Visits fell 12% in 2025
The National Park Service counted 310,672 visitors in 2025, down from 354,534 the year before. Visitors ↓
Summers are hot
June and July highs run 92–94°, and about 106 days a year reach 90°. When to go ↓
You can stay in Albuquerque
Petroglyph National Monument is inside Albuquerque, which has 244 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: May and Oct
May and October are the mild months, with highs of 73–82°. When to go ↓
An airport 9 miles away
Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) has airline service, about 9 miles from Petroglyph National Monument.
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Visits and weather by month
Crowds at Petroglyph rise and fall through the year, as below.
Petroglyph National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument stretches 17 miles (27 km) along Albuquerque, New Mexico's West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city's western horizon. Authorized June 27, 1990, the 7,236 acres (2,928 ha) monument is cooperatively managed by the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque. The western boundary of the monument features a chain of dormant fissure volcanoes. Beginning in the northwest corner, Butte volcano is followed to its south by Bond, Vulcan, Black and JA volcanoes.
- Type
- National Monument
- Established
- 1990
- Area
- 11 square miles
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Listed
- National Register of Historic Places (1990) · America's Most Endangered Historic Places
- Wikipedia readers
- 11K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/petr
Address and hours
Where to sleep near Petroglyph National Monument
For a bed close by, look to Albuquerque (244) and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque (7).
- 1University Stadium
- 2KiMo Theater
- 3Rio Rancho Events Center
- 4Tingley Coliseum
- 5National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
- 6Sandia Peak
Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
5,790 people
4 mi northeast of Petroglyph Information Center · 3 mi to the park
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | in town | — | 244 190 hotels · 27 motels · 11 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 6 campgrounds · 5 RV parks | 556,588 | $292K | D− |
| Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | 4 mi northeast | 5 min | 7 1 hotel · 1 motel · 5 inns & B&Bs | 5,790 | $492K | — |
| Corrales | 8 mi northeast | 15 min | 6 2 hotels · 4 inns & B&Bs | 8,484 | $572K | A− |
| Rio Rancho | 10 mi north | 15 min | 7 5 hotels · 1 motel · 1 RV park | 114,419 | $310K | C |
| North Valley | 6 mi northeast | 10 min | 4 2 inns & B&Bs · 2 campgrounds | 10,455 | $303K | — |
| Bernalillo | 15 mi northeast | 20 min | 8 4 hotels · 2 motels · 2 campgrounds | 9,159 | $256K | C− |
| South Valley | 9 mi south | 15 min | 2 2 inns & B&Bs | 37,120 | $224K | — |
| Kirtland AFB | 11 mi southeast | 15 min | 2 1 hotel · 1 campground | 3,413 | — | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
More near Petroglyph
These well-known sights sit within 52 miles.
19 mi Stadium & arenaUniversity Stadium
27 mi TheatreKiMo Theater
52 mi National PreserveValles Caldera National Preserve85K visitors a year
51 mi National MonumentBandelier National Monument248K visitors a year
313 mi Stadium & arenaRio Rancho Events Center
411 mi Stadium & arenaTingley Coliseum
514 mi MuseumNational Museum of Nuclear Science & History
620 mi Ski areaSandia Peak Ski Area66 runs · 1,599 ft verticalPhoto credits
University Stadium: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 · KiMo Theater: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Valles Caldera National Preserve: Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, Public domain · Bandelier National Monument: Andrew Dunn (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rio Rancho Events Center: Maryabm2009, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tingley Coliseum: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · National Museum of Nuclear Science & History: AllenS, Public domain · Sandia Peak Ski Area: Skoch3, CC BY-SA 3.0
Visits reached 310,672 in 2025
The count runs from 2016 up to 2025.
Your questions on Petroglyph
Is Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque?
Yes. It’s inside Albuquerque, NM. The address is Information Center, Albuquerque, NM 87120.
When is the best time to visit Petroglyph National Monument?
May and October, with highs of 73–82°. October is the busiest month (about 37,764 visitors).
How many people visit Petroglyph National Monument each year?
310,672 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 364,211, set in 2021.
What is the closest airport to Petroglyph National Monument?
Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), about 9 miles away.
Where should I stay near Petroglyph National Monument?
Albuquerque (in town, 244 places to stay), Los Ranchos de Albuquerque (4 mi, 7 places to stay) and Corrales (8 mi, 6 places to stay).
What locals in Albuquerque say
Start the conversation in Albuquerque’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.