El Morro National Monument
A natural water pool at the foot of a towering sandstone bluff, with ancestral Puebloan rock art and more than 2,000 inscriptions left by visitors since the Spanish conquest.
El Morro is a sandstone bluff about 60 meters high. The natural rainwater pool at its base was a water source for travelers for centuries, so the rock wall bears ancestral Puebloan petroglyphs, an 1605 inscription by Spanish governor Juan de Oñate, and later signatures by soldiers and settlers. This is why it is called 'Inscription Rock'. An approximately 800-meter Inscription Trail passes the main inscriptions along the cliff. Those who are fit can continue on a roughly 3-kilometer mesa-top trail, passing the ancient Atsinna Pueblo ruins, with sweeping views from the top. Entry is free. The visitor center is open roughly 9:00 to 17:00, and the trails close early in the afternoon. The site is about 90 kilometers from Gallup and can be combined with the Bandera Volcano Ice Cave in a single day trip.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:00–17:00 (free; trails close 1 hour earlier)
Nearby sights
- Bandera Volcano & Ice Cave
- Bluewater Lake State Park
- Zuni Pueblo
- Old Zuni Mission (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe)
- A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center
- Church Rock Trail
- Red Rock Park
- El Rancho Hotel & Motel