National Monument · NPS · NM · Roosevelt connection
El Morro National Monument
Photo: NPS Photo, El Morro with Sunflowers
Alerts and conditions
Information Park closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays
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.
Information Water in campground is shut off for the winter
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.
Park Closure Trail Closure for Restoration
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.
Overview
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.
From the National Park Service
History
The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.
The Roosevelt connection
Protected by T.R.
- December 8, 1906: as President, Theodore Roosevelt set aside El Morro National Monument. A sandstone bluff where centuries of travelers, from Ancestral Puebloans to Spanish and American passersby, carved their marks.
presidency.ucsb.edu · web.archive.org · nps.gov · Roosevelt’s Public Lands
His proclamations and orders
- December 8, 1906: Proclamation 695, “Setting Aside El Morro National Monument, New Mexico.” Today’s site began with this document. 1,278.72 acres today.
Proclamation 695 in Theodore Roosevelt’s Executive Orders and Proclamations
What to see and do
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
Plan your visit
Hours
El Morro National Monument: Summer Hours (May 24, 2026 - October 17, 2026). Park visitor center and trails open 7 days/week. Winter Hours (October 18, 2026 - May 27, 2027). Visitor center and trails open 5 days/week. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Trail 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. Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.
Getting there
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.
Visitor centers
Campgrounds
- El Morro Campground (9 sites)
Weather
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.
Phone: 5057834226
Whose lands these are
These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.
Photos
Pair it with
- El Malpais National Conservation Area BLM · 20 miles
- El Malpais National Monument NPS · 22 miles
- Cibola National Forest USFS · 67 miles
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park NPS · 73 miles
- Petrified Forest National Park NPS · 81 miles
- Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site NPS · 83 miles