Monument Hikes

Currently in Albuquerque
We will be in Utah at the end of September

I finally caught up on the Santa Fe posts and can start posting our experiences in Albuquerque.  We took a couple of hikes in some National Monuments in the area.  First up, the Tent Rocks Monument located between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Now, we have been on a lot of hikes in the last year.  This one ranks in the top 5 for awesomeness.  It was not a long hike, but the landscape was stunning.  Before we got into the canyon, we noticed some unusual views above.

The further we hiked, the more interesting it got.

Eventually we made it to the "slot" canyon.

Check out these tent rocks!  This whole thing was created by layers of volcanic rock from a volcano that occurred 7 million years ago.  Then wind and other erosion caused the rock to form into these tents.

We climbed to the top of the mesa and took a look across the Monument.

 On our way back we turned the corner and saw this! The formations are just crazy.

We also hiked the loop to take a look at a cave inside the rocks.

This one was memorable.

We also went to the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque.

We hiked the 1 mile trial of the Boca Negra Canyon where there are close to 100 petroglyphs (prehistoric rock carvings).  The hike itself was a climb!

We saw a lot of very clear symbols in the rocks.  No one knows exactly what each of the symbols mean nor why they were created.  Of course the basalt rock was formed by a volcano and created the perfect surface for the carvings.

There were several symbols that were circular that looked like targets.

Wildflowers on the trail!

I liked the macaw bird; Johnny liked the mask.

I found some Jimson weed that Georgia O'Keefe painted many times.  So New Mexico.

There was a beautiful view of Albuquerque from the top of the trail.  Loving those Sandia Mountains.

It was a hot day, but a really interesting hike.  Beautiful blue sky.