el-morro | NM | Find park - Future Camping

El Morro with Sunflowers

A drinking hole for visitors for hundreds of years, the pool at El Morro has significant cultural and historical value.

Constructed by the CCC, the historic headland trail at El Morro offers visitors great views and the archaeological site of Atsinna.

Atsinna Pueblo sits atop the headland at El Morro

El Morro blanketed with snow

Physical Address:

Mile Marker 44.6 Hwy 53

Ramah, NM 87321

Mailing Address:

HC 61 Box 43

Ramah, NM 87321

contact-details

Phone Number: 5057834226 Voice
Phone Number: 5057834689 Fax

Email Address: wendy_gordge@nps.gov
Description:

Fees

Entrance Fees

Entrance Passes

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.

park designation:National Monument

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.

For detailed directions, please visit this link.

Directions

Operating Hours:

El Morro National Monument

Winter Hours are in effect (October 20, 2024 - May 23, 2025). Park visitor center and trails open 5 days/week, Thursday through Monday. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Trail access begins at 9:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm (Headland Trail) and 4:00 pm (Inscription Loop Trail). There is no access to park trails when the visitor center is closed. Summer Hours (May 24, 2025 - September 30, 2025) Park visitor center and trails open 7 days/week. Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.

Exceptions:

Summer Hours (May 24, 2025 - September 30, 2025)

Closed Thanksgiving (November 27, 2025 - November 27, 2025)

Closed Christmas (December 25, 2024 - December 25, 2024)

Closed New Years Day (January 1, 2025 - January 1, 2025)

Weather Information:

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.