If you have only 2 hours to visit:
Heading to Albuquerque or Socorro from Mountainair?
- Stop by the park's main visitor center in Mountainair and watch the 14-minute educational film about the history of our three cultural sites;use the restrooms and take in the museum and bookstore.
- Then head out to Abó (9 miles west on US Highway 60) and tour the site by walking the 1/2-mile trail and viewing the ruins. Abó has a visitor center, restroom, bookstore, picnic area and easy walking trails.
- When you leave Abó, take Highway 60 west to I-25 at the Bernardo Exit. There, you can proceed north (for Albuquerque) or south for Socorro.
If you are headed to Albuquerque and wish to take the East Mountain drive,
- Stop by the park's main visitor center in Mountainair and watch the 14-minute educational film about the history of our three cultural sites;use the restrooms and take in the museum and bookstore.
- Then head north from Mountainair on NM Highway 55 to the small village of Punta de Agua (8 miles) and turn left on the blacktop road to the ruins. It's a short mile drive.
- Quarai has what many believe to be the most scenic ruins of our four Spanish Mission ruins. It also offers restrooms, museum, picnic area and walking trails, including the 1-mile dirt Spanish Corral Trail, which loops through piñon- juniper forest.
Heading to Alamogordo or White Sands NM from Mountainair?
- Stop by the park's main visitor center in Mountainair and watch the 14-minute educational film about the history of our three cultural sites;use the restrooms and take in the museum and bookstore.
- Before leaving, make sure you have plenty of gas, water and snacks. There are no services for 83 miles.
- Then head out to Gran Quivira on South NM Hwy 55 and tour the site by walking the 1/2-mile trail and viewing the ruins.
- Don't miss the excellent museum inside the visitor center. It's our best collection of Native artifacts. Gran Quivira has a large bookstore, restrooms, picnic tables and awesome views from high atop the mesa.
If you have 4-6 hours to visit:
Heading to Albuquerque or Socorro from Mountainair?
- Visit the park's main visitor center in Mountainair and watch the 14-minute educational film about the history of our three cultural sites;use the restroom, check out the well-stocked bookstore.
- Then head out to Quarai and tour the site by walking the 1/2-mile trail and viewing the ruins.
- Then come back through town, grab lunch or makings for a picnic and head over to Abó. The sites are open from 9:00am-5:00pm daily in the summer and from 9:00am-4:00pm daily in the winter. All have restrooms, museums and bookstores, picnic areas and easy hiking trails.
If you have 8 hours (a full day) to visit:
- Visit the park's main visitor center in Mountainair and watch the 14-minute educational film about the history of our three cultural sites; use the restroom and check out the museum and bookstore.
- Then head out to Gran Quivira and tour the site by walking the 1/2-mile trail and viewing the ruins. Don't miss the excellent museum inside the visitor center.
- Then come back through town and grab lunch.
- Then head up to Quarai;lastly, take the 20-minute drive to Abó. The sites are open from 9:00am-5:00pm daily in the summer and from 9:00am-4:00pm daily in the winter. All have restrooms, museums and bookstores, picnic areas and easy hiking trails.
If you have 2 or more days to visit:
- Visit the park's main visitor center in Mountainair and watch the short educational film about the history of our three cultural sites.
- Then make sure to visit all three of the sites (Gran Quivira, Quarai, Abó) at your own pace. The sites are open daily from 9:00am-5:00pm in the summer and from 9:00am-4:00pm daily in the winter. All have restrooms.
- Add on side trips to view the salt lakes from Highway 60 near Willard, or to the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge off of I-25, south of Bernardo.
- Bernardo also has excellent birding when the Bernardo Auto Loop is open. It's just north on NM 116 just before the interstate.
- During warmer months, hiking and camping is available in the nearby Manzano Mountains. Be sure to ask for information at any of our visitor centers.
- Lodging is available at two motels in Mountainair, and camping is available at nearby Manzano State Park and in the Cibola National Forest (Mountainair Ranger District) in the Manzano Mountains.
- Take the scenic way back to Albuquerque or Santa Fe by driving along the edge of the Manzano Mountains on Highway 55 and 337.
- If headed south to White Sands National Park, Three Rivers Petroglyph site (near Carrizozo) or Valley of Fires Recreation Area, take NM Hwy 55 south to Gran Quivira, then on to US Hwy 54. Turn south and head to your destinations.
