Aztec Ruins National Monument
NM
Park Alerts (1)
About Aztec Ruins National Monument
Aztec Ruins has some of the best-preserved Chacoan structures of its kind. Learn more about the ancestral Pueblo people in the park's museum and explore the Aztec West great house to see exceptionally advanced architecture, original wooden beams, and a restored Great Kiva. Aztec Ruins is a deeply sacred place to many Indigenous peoples across the American Southwest.
Please visit with respect.
Things To Do
Eat Lunch at Aztec Ruin's Picnic Area
Enjoy a picnic in the shade.
Aztec West Great House Loop
A half mile long loop following a mostly paved trail through the ancestral Pueblo Great House.
Become an Aztec Ruins Junior Ranger
Aztec Ruins National Monument offers a Junior Ranger program for the young and young at heart. Upon completion, participants will earn their Junior Ranger badge. Junior Ranger worksheets are available at the visitor center.
Available Activities
Weather
Summer High temperatures range between 80°F and 99°F degrees with a few days over 100°F. Afternoon thunderstorms usually cool things down in late July and August. Fall Usually pleasant, with mild days and crisp nights.
Winter Daytime temperatures range between 20°F and 50°F with cold nights that can reach 0°F. Snow is periodic, but accumulations are typically only 1-2 inches. Spring Weather is especially unpredictable: it can be windy, cold, and wet, or still, warm, and dry.
Getting There
From Albuquerque/Bloomfield, NM: Follow Hwy 550 north into Aztec, turn left onto Highway 516, drive 3/4 mile, then turn right onto Ruins Road. Follow Ruins Road 1/2 mile to the monument. From Durango, CO: Follow Hwy 550 south into Aztec, where it will become 516.
Turn right onto Ruins Road. Follow Ruins Road 1/2 mile to the monument. From Farmington, NM Follow Highway 516 east into Aztec.
1/4 mile past Lightplant Road, turn left onto Ruins Road. Follow Ruins Road 1/2 mile to the monument.
Plan Your Visit
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Hours
Aztec Ruins National Monument is open to the public from 7:00am-5:00pm, which includes the parking areas, archeological sites, picnic areas, and trails. The visitor center is open from 9:00am-5:00pm daily. The monument and visitor center close on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Days. Unless there is a public program scheduled, there is no after-hours access. Vehicles are not permitted to be left in the parking lot after closing.
