El Morro National Monument Hike

They have a two mile interpretive trail that takes you around El Morro and you can see Inscriptions carved into the walls from centuries past, as well as incredible natural beauty. If it is summer as when we visited, make sure to come early to avoid the heat. The site was established by the National Park Service to protect ancient Puebloan ruins and the thousands of inscriptions and petroglyphs carved in sandstone formations over hundreds of years. El Morro was a popular campsite for travelers because of a reliable hidden water hole located at the base of the El Morro rock formation. From the visitors center, an interpretive trail takes you to the top of the rock formations where Puebloan ruins have been excavated. The trail continues on to the base of El Morro where inscriptions and petroglyphs can be viewed from the walkway. An added surprise for me was the small campground located within the national monument--only nine camp sites. The campground offers limited amenities, but is impeccably maintained, has nice tree cover for a break from the sun, and was a great place for star gazing after nightfall.