Visiting a Petroglyph Site

Petroglyphs of human handprints in Piedras Marcadas Canyon. Unfortunately, these were damaged by gun shots.

PETR/NPS

Petroglyphs are fragile, non-renewable cultural resources that, once damaged, can never be repaired nor replaced. We ask for your assistance in preserving this rich cultural landscape for future generations.

By remembering and following the rules listed here, you can help preserve these unique and fragile cultural resources that are part of our nation's heritage.

Avoid Touching the Petroglyphs
Look and observe, BUT DO NOT TOUCH! Preserve petroglyphs by not touching them in any way. Even a small amount of the oils from our hands can darken petroglyphs making them impossible to see.

Stay on the Trails
For your own safety and the preservation of the petroglyphs, stay on designated trails at all times. Climbing on the boulders can dislodge loose stones causing damage to the petroglyph boulders. Falling rocks can hurt people, or may scratch the carved and pecked images causing unintentional damage. Do not re-arrange the rocks or move/remove artifacts from where you find them. The petroglyphs are important individually and in relation to each other. In order to try and understand a petroglyph or pictograph it needs to be viewed in relation to its environment including the adjacent image(s), the entire basalt escarpment, and the surrounding landscape. For someone to fully appreciate a site, the petroglyphs and their surroundings should be left undisturbed.

Photography and Sketching is Allowed
Do not introduce any foreign substance to enhance the carved and pecked images for photographic or drawing purposes. Altering, defacing, or damaging the petroglyphs is against the law -- even if the damage is unintentional.

Re-pecking or re-painting does not restore a petroglyph or pictograph, it destroys the original. DO NOT add your own marks to the images. The introduction of graffiti destroys the petroglyphs and is disrespectful to contemporary Native Americans and their ancestors.

Note: Photography for personal use does not require a permit. Commercial photography does require a permit.

Pets
Where dogs are allowed, keep them on a leash and clean up after them. Animals may damage archeological sites (including petroglyph sites) by digging, urinating and defecating on them. Animals can destroy fragile cultural resources.

Artifacts
If you happen to come across sherds (broken pottery) or lithics (flakes of stone tools), leave them where you see them. Once they are moved or removed, a piece of the past is forever lost.

All archaeological and historic sites within Petroglyph National Monument are protected by a number of laws and regulations including the Antiquities Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. These and other laws prohibit digging, removing artifacts, damaging and defacing archaeological resources in national parks, and provide felony and/or misdemeanor prosecution with imprisonment up to ten years and fines up to $100,000.

If you see people vandalizing or disturbing archeological sites or petroglyphs, please report it as soon as possible by calling Petroglyph National Monument Law Enforcement at 505-899-0205.

While visiting the national monument consider yourself a guest in someone's home and behave appropriately. Native Americans today consider the entire national monument to be a sacred landscape. Like other places of worship throughout the world, the area demands respect and care.

We encourage you to respect the beliefs of the descendants of those who carved the images on the rocks. The petroglyphs within the park are sacred to many people living in the area today. Out of respect and consideration of present day peoples, we currently do not post any images on our website or place any images in our publications that display the human form. We would encourage you not to use the images for commercial purposes.

Thank you for your cooperation and we hope you enjoy your visit to Petroglyph National Monument.