El Morro National Monument - Things To Do (U.S. National Park Service)

NPS photo

If you have an hour or less . . .

Walk the Inscription Loop Trail and see why El Morro was proclaimed a national monument.This trail takes you to the pool and past hundreds of Spanish and Anglo inscriptions, as well as pre–historical petroglyphs. If you still have time when you return to the visitor center, watch the 15 minute video in the museum.

Interesting formations await you on top of the bluff.

NPS photo

If you have 1.5 hours . . .

Walk the entire 2–mile Mesa Top Loop Trail. This includes the Inscription Loop Trail but also continues to the top of the mesa for a look into the Ancestral Puebloan ruin, Atsinna. Portions or all of the Mesa Top Loop Trail may be closed during the winter months.

A hiker on the Mesa Top Loop Trail marvels at the views.

NPS Photo by S. Beckwith

If you have 2 hours or more . . .

Watch the 15-minute video for a great introduction to El Morro National Monument, walk the 2-mile Mesa Top Loop Trail, and finally, explore the exhibits and browse the bookstore back at the visitor center.