Aztec Ruins National Monument: A Must-See New Mexico Park

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As I work my way through my mountain of drafts, were jumping in to the campervan trip right in the middle of it, at Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico.

Aztec Ruins National Monument is one of 19 national park sites in New Mexico.

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aztec ruins national monument new mexico

It’s in northwest New Mexico, not far from the Colorado border. It looks like it could be the northernmost park site in the state, with Capulin Volcano National Monument in the opposite corner a close second.

A lot of the smaller New Mexico parks close early (4 or 5 PM) and this is one of them.

We got here just in time for us to walk around the ruins on the trail, get our stamps, and see the little museum before it closed.

We started in the visitor center (as you do), went through the museum, then headed out back for the short trail.

It wasn’t super busy here but we were definitely not the only people either. I want to say we saw maybe 10-15 other people/groups out and about.

We did the loop counterclockwise since that’s the way it sort of naturally leads your from the indoor fancy kiva.

The fancy indoor kiva I keep talking about is the Great Kiva, a space used for community events and gatherings.

There were hundreds of rooms, including kivas, in the outdoor structure, but this one is much bigger.

If you’ve ever been to any Native American ruins in the southwest, you’ve probably seen a kiva.

I kept saying I was going to call this trip “The Ultimate Kiva Tour” because we saw so many!

But the Great Kiva here is different than the others you’ll see around New Mexico because it’s indoors, and it’s gigantic and finished and set up how it would have been in its heyday.

It’s like living room sized, not the usual small hot tub sized ones you see the most. There are some in between sized ones, too, though.

Things to keep in mind when visiting rock art & ruins:

Do not touch the rock art (pictographs or petroglyphs) because the oils on our fingers can degrade them.
If you find artifacts, do not take them. Leave them where they are and just take pictures.
If there are structures (rooms, kivas, anything like that) don’t enter them unless it is stated that you can. Most places you can’t but national and state parks will have restored structures you can enter. Mesa Verde, Edge of the Cedars, and Anasazi Museum all have ruins you can enter.
And finally, don’t carve in or write or paint or draw on the rocks! I don’t want to have to say this, but I need to for real.

So, after checking out the Great Kiva, we headed outside for the loop trail. The trail is paved, if a little bumpy at times.

It takes you around and through the ruins, which are some of the best-preserved Chacoan structures of it’s kind.

At it’s peak, the site was three stories high with over 500 rooms, which is pretty impressive!

You can go into some of the rooms, and you’ll have to crouch down to do that. Don’t go in anywhere that isn’t allowed, and don’t climb on the walls either.

It’s really cool getting to see all of the ruins up close like this, and a few spots give you good views overlooking a lot of the structure too.

But, you might be wondering why this is called Aztec Ruins when it was actually built by ancestral Puebloans hundreds of years before the Aztec empire was in full swing.

Well, white settlers were inspired by Cortez’s conquest of Mexico and thought the Aztec people built these structures, too, hence Aztec Ruins.

There isn’t a whole lot to say about the trail, as it’s just a loop winding through the structures but it is nice, and I really liked it!

I’ve seen a lot of ruin sites at this point and while I don’t think I would say this is number one (Bonita Pueblo in Chaco Canyon gets that spot), this is probably in the top 10 at least.

Overall, if you’re in the area, or really, really love ruins, this is a great park to stop at.

The structures are well maintained and it’s very easy to access (and is accessible). I would definitely recommend it!

Way at the end of this post you can find a giant photo gallery from the park as well as a list of books that are perfect to read before you visit/while you’re in the area.

National Park Goodies

If you’re planning to visit three or more national parks within a year from your trip, definitely get the America the Beautiful pass. It will save you money in the long run if you’re going to more than three parks in a year. Buy the pass here.
If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking on your trip, or even at home, check out AllTrails! This is my favorite app to find, keep track of, and track my hiking activity. And it’s FREE! Sign up here.
This Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is a must-have. You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
Doing a road trip? Want an adventure? Consider an Escape Campervan Rental! It’s a great way to see the parks and is perfect for couples and small (but close) friend groups. Book a campervan here!
This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
Get yourself a National Park journal for all of the NPS sites (400+!) to keep track of your travels!
Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.

Where is Aztec National Monument?

Aztec National Monument is just north of the town of Aztec in northern New Mexico.

It’s pretty out of the way of everything, like everything else in New Mexico.

It’s about 2.5 hours from Canyon de Chelley, 2 hours 15 minutes from Gallup, 30 minutes from Farmington, 1.5 hours from Chaco Canyon, and 1.5 hours from and 45 minutes from Cortez and Durango, Colorado, respectively.

Is there hiking at Aztec National Monument?

Yes! There is a hike around/through the ruins behind the visitor center. It’s less than half a mile for the whole loop.

Is the trail at Aztec National Monument hard?

Nope! It’s a pretty flat, short, mostly paved trail. The hardest part would be going down into the fancy kiva and crouching to get into some of the ruins.

Is visiting Aztec National Monument worth it?

If you’re in the area, absolutely! It was actually one of my favorite stops on our campervan trip!

That said, it’s pretty small and an hour is probably more than enough time there, so I wouldn’t go too far out of my way to stop here, like, an hour at most.

If you’re visiting Canyon de Chelley or Chaco Canyon it would be close enough for a detour I think, depending on where your coming from/going to.