Hike Mesa Top Trail At El Morro National Monument In New Mexico

If you’ve spent any amount of time in the Southwest, you’ll know that Indigenous cultures have a prominent presence in both ancient and modern contexts. If you’re hoping to see a small piece of these cultures, you don’t need to go far since they’re all around us. Today, we’re going to check out one short hiking trail that will take you to an ancient dwelling still standing hundreds of years after it was abandoned.

Recognize this place? In case you don't, it's El Morro National Monument, located about 14 minutes southeast of Ramah. The monument is best known for Inscription Rock, which features thousands of carvings from New Mexico's Indigenous peoples and more recent settlers.

However, you might want to explore the area a little more because you'll find the remains of an Ancient Puebloan dwelling sitting at the top of the mesa.

Access here is via a 2-mile long trail called Mesa Top Trail Loop (or the Headland Trail), which leads from the visitor center, up to the ruins, and back down to Inscription Rock and the trailhead. You can expect to spend around two hours on this trail both hiking and checking out the ruins.

Stop at the visitor center before hitting the trail to pick up a guide that will offer details about sights you'll see along the way. Then you can begin!

The trail can be steep in areas and you will need to search for cairns that mark the trail in others, making this a moderately difficult trail. However, the amazing views make the trek worth it! Just be sure to bring extra water, especially as the temperatures rise.

After a short distance, you'll reach the ruins of Atsinna which date to approximately 1275 CE, making these more than seven centuries old!

The ancient pueblo was located near one of the only water sources for miles and the location on top of the mesa made this ideal for safety. The pueblo had about 875 rooms in its prime, housing around 1,500 people!

Have you visited this park and hiked this trail before? Be sure to let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below!

El Morro National Monument is located about 12 miles southeast of Ramah on NM-53, or about 119 miles west of Albuquerque via Interstate 40 and NM-53. You can find details about the national monument by visiting the National Park Service website.

You can read about more incredible ancient dwellings in several of our previous articles. However, if you’re looking for hiking trails, we suggest reading These 10 Trails In New Mexico Will Lead You To Extraordinary Ancient Ruins.

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This Hike Takes You To A Place New Mexico's First Residents Left Behind

Explore New Mexico

This Hike Takes You To A Place New Mexico's First Residents Left Behind

Monica Spencer

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