{"id":"nps-elmo","slug":"el-morro-national-monument","name":"El Morro National Monument","designation":"National Monument","category":"national-monument","categoryLabel":"National Monument","agency":{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov"},"managedBy":[{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov","unitCode":"ELMO","designation":"National Monument","sourceId":"nps-elmo"}],"states":["NM"],"stateNames":["New Mexico"],"location":{"lat":35.03895916,"lon":-108.3463984},"bbox":[-108.364,35.0317,-108.3287,35.0462],"acres":{"value":1275,"kind":"gis-estimate","source":"Computed from the simplified boundary","note":"Approximate. The managing agency publishes official acreage."},"firstProtected":null,"established":null,"administrations":[],"designationHistory":[],"summary":"Imagine the refreshment of finding water after days of dusty travel. A reliable waterhole hidden at the base of a sandstone bluff made El Morro (the headland) a popular campsite for hundreds of years. Here, ancestral Puebloans, Spanish, and American travelers carved over 2,000 signatures, dates, messages, and petroglyphs. Make El Morro National Monument a stopping point on your travels.","summarySource":"National Park Service","guide":{},"trConnection":null,"trConnections":[{"id":"ppl-m-el-morro","type":"protected","label":"Protected by T.R.","date":"1906-12-08","then":"El Morro National Monument","thenKind":"national monument","text":"As President, Theodore Roosevelt set aside it (1906-12-08).","note":"A sandstone bluff where centuries of travelers, from Ancestral Puebloans to Spanish and American passersby, carved their marks.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-695-setting-aside-el-morro-national-monument-new-mexico","name":"presidency.ucsb.edu"},{"url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200214180323/https://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/antiquities/monumentslist.htm","name":"web.archive.org"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/articles/lee-story-proclamation.htm","name":"nps.gov"},{"name":"Roosevelt’s Public Lands","url":"https://publiclands.labs.trlibrary.com/#place=m-el-morro"}],"dataset":"publiclands","reviewed":true},{"id":"ea-proc-695","type":"executive-action","label":"Traces to a T.R. proclamation or order","date":"1906-12-08","document":"Proclamation 695","title":"Setting Aside El Morro National Monument, New Mexico","relation":"began with this document","text":"Proclamation 695 (1906-12-08): “Setting Aside El Morro National Monument, New Mexico.” Today’s site began with this document.","note":"1,278.72 acres today.","sources":[{"name":"Proclamation 695 in Theodore Roosevelt’s Executive Orders and Proclamations","url":"https://executiveactions.labs.trlibrary.com/document.html?id=proc-695"},{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division, listing of acreage, June 30, 2026"}],"dataset":"executiveactions","reviewed":true}],"trTypes":["protected","executive-action"],"links":{"official":"https://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm","social":{},"recreationGov":null,"alltrails":null,"alltrailsExplore":"https://www.alltrails.com/explore?b_tl_lat=35.0462&b_tl_lng=-108.364&b_br_lat=35.0317&b_br_lng=-108.3287","recreationGovSearch":"https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=El%20Morro%20National%20Monument","directions":"http://www.nps.gov/elmo/planyourvisit/directions.htm"},"images":[{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C7E4D4D-1DD8-B71B-0B9B5562C2BAACFC.jpg","title":"El Morro with Sunflowers","alt":"El Morro with Sunflowers","caption":"El Morro with Sunflowers","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C7E4EBE-1DD8-B71B-0BC4CD28327D4CA3.jpg","title":"Pool at El Morro","alt":"Pool at El Morro","caption":"A drinking hole for visitors for hundreds of years, the pool at El Morro has significant cultural and historical value.","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C7E51EC-1DD8-B71B-0BAE3175FC22CDD3.jpg","title":"Trail at El Morro","alt":"Trail at El Morro","caption":"Constructed by the CCC, the historic headland trail at El Morro offers visitors great views and the archaeological site of Atsinna.","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C7E538A-1DD8-B71B-0B547055F3B736AB.jpg","title":"Atsinna Pueblo","alt":"Atsinna Pueblo","caption":"Atsinna Pueblo sits atop the headland at El Morro","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C7E4BB4-1DD8-B71B-0BED7A15B3E33FCC.jpg","title":"El Morro in snow","alt":"Headland in Snow","caption":"El Morro blanketed with snow","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"}],"activities":["Arts and Culture","Astronomy","Stargazing","Camping","Car or Front Country Camping","RV Camping","Food","Picnicking","Guided Tours","Self-Guided Tours - Walking","Hiking","Front-Country Hiking","Junior Ranger Program","Wildlife Watching","Birdwatching","Park Film","Museum Exhibits","Shopping","Bookstore and Park Store"],"topics":["Archeology","Ruins","Colonization and Settlement","Explorers and Expeditions","Hispanic American Heritage","Migrations","Military","US Army","Schools and Education","Westward Expansion","Animals","Birds","Foothills, Plains and Valleys","Plateaus and Mesas","Forests and Woodlands","Coniferous Forests","Geology","Grasslands","Night Sky","Scenic Views","Trails"],"fees":[],"passes":[],"hours":[{"name":"El Morro National Monument","description":"Summer Hours (May 24, 2026 - October 17, 2026). Park visitor center and trails open 7 days/week.\n\nWinter Hours (October 18, 2026 - May 27, 2027). Visitor center and trails open 5 days/week. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. \n\nTrail access begins at 9:00 am. Last admittance to the Headland Trail is at 2:30 pm MT. Last admittance to the Inscription Loop Trail is at 4:00 pm MT. There is no access to park trails once the visitor center closes at 5:00 pm.\n\nClosed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.","standardHours":{"wednesday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","monday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","thursday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","sunday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","tuesday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","friday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","saturday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM"},"exceptions":[{"name":"Winter Hours 2026-2027","start":"2026-10-18","end":"2027-05-24","hours":{"wednesday":"Closed","monday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","thursday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","sunday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","tuesday":"Closed","friday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM","saturday":"9:00AM - 5:00PM"}},{"name":"Closed Thanksgiving","start":"2026-11-26","end":"2026-11-26","hours":{}},{"name":"Closed Christmas","start":"2026-12-25","end":"2026-12-25","hours":{}},{"name":"Closed New Years Day","start":"2027-01-01","end":"2027-01-01","hours":{}}]}],"directions":"From Albuquerque, NM, or from the east: take Interstate 40 west to Grants. At exit 81, go south on Highway 53 for 42 miles to El Morro National Monument. From Flagstaff, AZ, or from the west: take Interstate 40 east to Gallup. At exit 20, go south on Highway 602 for about 31 miles. Turn east (left) onto Highway 53. El Morro is 25 more miles.","weatherInfo":"At an elevation of 7,219 feet (2200 meters) winters can be cold and snowy. Summers are warm with afternoon thunder showers from mid-July through mid-September. Trails can close unexpectedly due to severe weather. Average snowfall: 40 inches per year. Average precipitation (snowmelt and rain): 16 inches per year. Warmest month: July, with average highs of 84 degrees and lows of 52 degrees. Coldest months: December and January, with average lows of 14-15 degrees, and average highs of 44-45 degrees.","contacts":{"phone":"5057834226","email":"wendy_gordge@nps.gov"},"visitorCenters":[{"name":"El Morro Visitor Center","description":"Your visit to El Morro National Monument begins here. Park rangers and volunteers are available to answer your questions and orient you to the facilities and self-guided trails. Both of the park trails begin at the visitor center.","url":"http://www.nps.gov/elmo/planyourvisit/hours.htm","lat":35.03839471454545,"lon":-108.34891673461374}],"campgrounds":[{"name":"El Morro Campground","description":"El Morro operates a nine-site campground 7 days/week, year-round. First come-first served. Each site has a graveled tent pad, picnic table and ground grill for fires. During the warmer months, water is available at spigots that are centrally located along the campground loop road. Once the overnight low's begin to reach freezing temperatures, water is turned off for the season. There are no hookups for RVs. The length limit on all motor homes is 27 feet overall. One site, #5, is handicapped accessible.","url":"https://www.nps.gov/elmo/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm","reservationUrl":null,"sites":9}],"thingsToDo":[],"nearby":[{"slug":"el-malpais-national-conservation-area","km":32},{"slug":"el-malpais-national-monument","km":36},{"slug":"cibola-national-forest","km":108},{"slug":"chaco-culture-national-historical-park","km":117},{"slug":"petrified-forest-national-park","km":131},{"slug":"hubbell-trading-post-national-historic-site","km":133}],"hasBoundary":true,"boundarySource":{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division","url":"https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2224545"},"sources":[{"name":"NPS Data API","url":"https://developer.nps.gov/api/v1/parks?parkCode=elmo"},{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division boundaries","url":"https://services1.arcgis.com/fBc8EJBxQRMcHlei/arcgis/rest/services/NPS_Land_Resources_Division_Boundary_and_Tract_Data_Service/FeatureServer/2"}],"editorialStatus":"draft","synced":"2026-11-09T02:12:45.611Z","alerts":[{"source":"NPS","kind":"Information","title":"Park closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays","text":"Winter hours are currently in effect. El Morro is open 5 days/week, Thursday - Monday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Mountain Time. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Hiking park trails when the monument is closed is not permitted.","url":null,"updated":"2026-10-15 00:00:00.0","id":"nps-C6F5EEB2-2456-4B7A-ABF4-280D816AC7B6"},{"source":"NPS","kind":"Information","title":"Water in campground is shut off for the winter","text":"Due to overnight freezing temperatures, water in the campground has been shut off for the season. Visitors should plan to bring their own water. Small containers may be filled at the visitor center during business hours.","url":null,"updated":"2026-10-15 00:00:00.0","id":"nps-4C4EBC40-583F-465B-98C5-513F91FFEA37"},{"source":"NPS","kind":"Park Closure","title":"Trail Closure for Restoration","text":"The south portion of the Headland Trail is closed due to ongoing restoration work. Access to the trail will now close at 2:30 pm daily. All hikers must be off the trails by 4:45 pm.","url":null,"updated":"2026-09-30 00:00:00.0","id":"nps-137EB9A7-57A2-4AC7-8284-9DAC18E1E777"}],"url":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/sites/el-morro-national-monument/","boundaryUrl":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/boundaries/el-morro-national-monument.geojson"}