The 2.4-mile roundtrip Petroglyph Point Trail is the only trail at Mesa Verde National Park that allows visitors to explore the inner canyons and an excellent petroglyph panel without a guide. The loop trail begins near Spruce Tree House and the park headquarters on Chapin Mesa. From there it threads down Spruce and Navajo canyons to the rock art, and then returns on the flat mesa top. The moderate hike loses and gains 300 feet of elevation; has some short steep sections; offers views of cliff dwellings; and takes two to three hours to hike. The total hike distance from the park museum and parking area is 2.8 miles since the trail begins 0.25 miles down the paved path to Spruce Tree House.
Pro Tips
The hike begins at the Spruce Tree House Trailhead by the park museum. Descend down the paved trail toward Spruce Tree House. After a quarter-mile, go right at a junction on 2.4-mile Petroglyph Point Trail. The trail heads south along the eastern side of Spruce Canyon, passing several viewpoints, a few ruins, and stone obstacles that require fun squeezing and scrambling. The trail reaches its southernmost point at a marvelous petroglyph panel pecked on a sandstone wall. This is a great spot to linger and look at the ancient motifs, including hand prints, animals, and geometric shapes.Past the petroglyphs, the trail climbs stone steps to the canyon rim, gaining above 100 feet of elevation. The trail turns north on the mesa-top and gently gains elevation for 1.3 miles back to the museum. The trail passes above Spruce Tree House’s large cave and then rejoins the main trail below the museum.You need to sign out for Petroglyph Point Trail at either a register box by the trail’s start or at the museum. It’s best to sign at the museum so you won’t have to return to the trailhead to sign out. Also pick up a trail guide map at the museum, which has numbered interpretative stops on the trail.Visit Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum and Spruce Tree House after you do the hike. The museum offers exhibits and dioramas of the Ancestral Puebloan people and the park’s sites. Spruce Tree House, one of the park’s largest cliff dwellings, is visited on a self-guided tour from spring through fall. It may be closed, however, due to possible rockfall danger.Recommended season(s): Year-round.
–Stewart M. Green
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