The best camping in El Morro National Monument, NM

Walk the same ancient trail in western New Mexico as centuries of thirsty travelers seeking shade and water. This fascinating desert monument in Ramah is a massive sandstone promontory with a pool of water at its base. At its top, you'll discover the remains of a mesa pueblo. Here, between about 1275 to 1350 AD, up to 1,500 people lived in the 875 rooms.

Know to Anglo-Americans as "Inscription Rock," El Morro bears over 2,000 signatures left by travelers. Some date as far back as the 17th century. See the names of pioneers journeying west in the 1800's. You'll find petroglyphs and carvings made by the Ancestral Puebloan dating to the 13th and 14th centuries. All of these historic gems are accessible via park trails.

Start in the visitors center where helpful Rangers can point you in the direction of the self-guided trails that start here. Watch the 15-minute video for a great introduction to the cultural and natural history of El Morro. If you've got an hour, take the paved 1/2-mile Inscription Trail to the pool. You'll see the hundreds of Spanish and Anglo inscriptions and prehistorical petroglyphs.

Have 90 minutes? Continue past the inscriptions on the Headland Trail, and ascend the bluff for spectacular views. This 2–mile loop hike is a bit more strenuous with a 250-foot elevation gain. Your reward is views of the Zuni Mountains, the volcanic craters of the El Malpais area, and the El Morro Valley. The 875-room Ancestral Puebloan ruin, Atsinna, sits on top of the bluff. Some of the excavated ruins are very well preserved.

Refuel with a barbecue at the picnic area near the visitor center before you leave. El Morro has a nine-site campground, but you can also search for camping on public and private land nearby with Hipcamp.