Cliff Base Trail at Boca Negra Canyon in the Petroglyph National Monument

1000 year-old petroglyphs await you on this short hike near Albuquerque. In spite of the hike being so short, it has a lot of interesting petroglyphs and lava formations.

Petroglyph

Hike data:

Controlling agency: Petroglyph National Monument
Location in the state: Central; Albuquerque's west side
Trailhead waypoint(s): BNCCBT
Elevation:
start: 5229ft; 1594m end: 5239ft; 1597m
min: 5229ft; 1594m max: 5239ft; 1597m
Elevation gain/loss: 9 ft; 3 m
Length: 787 ft; 240 m
How long it took us (HH:MM): 00:30.
Cleanliness: 9/10
Trail usage: 0.00 people/hour. Nobody was hiking it when we did (right before park closing), but I would expect heavy usage based on our experience with the Mesa Point Trail, which is heavily hiked.
Trail Condition: Paved.
Fee: $2.00. When we visited, the fee was $1.00 on weekdays and $2.00 on weekends.
When we hiked it: 2003-01-26.
Trailhead facilities: Water, trash cans, toilets, picnic area.
Special features of the hike: History.
When to hike: All year.
General comments: Morning light is probably best for this hike.

Maps:

Map showing the location of the trailhead

Getting to the trailhead:

From I-40 Westbound from Albuquerque, take exit 154 (Under Blvd, State Highway 345). Head north on Unser for 4.9 miles. The entrance to the park is on the right. Go around the loop road until you see a sign indicating the parking area for this hike. The parking lot is small, and you might have to park elsewhere and hike over to the trailhead. Trails lead between all of the parking areas, so this is not a problem.

The hike:

Petroglyph
This trail is short, but it has many good petroglyphs.
You can also see interesting lava formations.
Striped lava

Plants we saw along the trail:

Animals we saw along the trail:

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