El Morro National Monument
Hours
See this week's hours below.
- Entrance fee
- The Park Service lists no entrance fee for this site.
- Phone
- 5057834226
- Address
- Mile Marker 44.6 Hwy 53, Ramah, NM 87321
About El Morro
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.
Hours
El Morro National Monument
Summer Hours (May 24, 2026 - October 17, 2026). Park visitor center and trails open 7 days/week. Winter Hours (October 18, 2026 - May 27, 2027). Visitor center and trails open 5 days/week. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Trail access begins at 9:00 am. Last admittance to the Headland Trail is at 2:30 pm MT. Last admittance to the Inscription Loop Trail is at 4:00 pm MT. There is no access to park trails once the visitor center closes at 5:00 pm. Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.
| Monday | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Thursday | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Friday | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Saturday | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Sunday | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
Changes to these hours
- Winter Hours 2026-2027, Oct 18 to May 24, 2027: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Closed
- Closed Thanksgiving, Nov 26: Closed
- Closed Christmas, Dec 25: Closed
- Closed New Years Day, Jan 1: Closed
Getting there
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.
Weather
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.
Things to do
Arts and Culture, Astronomy, Birdwatching, Bookstore and Park Store, Camping, Car or Front Country Camping, Food, Front-Country Hiking, Guided Tours, Hiking, Junior Ranger Program, Museum Exhibits, Park Film, Picnicking, RV Camping, Self-Guided Tours - Walking, Shopping, Stargazing, Wildlife Watching.
Source: National Park Service data feed, checked September 24, 2026. Hours shown are the Park Service's posted standard hours plus any date changes it lists. Official page for El Morro ↗