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.
As a result of the high fire danger, Stage II Fire Restrictions are being implemented in El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments, effective June 22, 2026. These restrictions are necessary to reduce the risk of fire to protect public health and safety, and to protect National Park Service lands, resources, and facilities during the current period of increased fire danger.