On the border of the bustling city and vibrant culture of Albuquerque is a nearly missable range of volcanoes hiding an otherworldly vibe. Five volcanoes stand just 20 minutes west of downtown Albuquerque, although they’re often overlooked even by locals, as they seem to be nothing more than barren hills dotted with grass and sagebrush. But the Albuquerque Volcanoes, also known as the Three Sisters (for the three biggest ones), make up a site of rich natural and human history.
Located within the Petroglyph National Monument, the Albuquerque Volcanoes are notable for a few reasons. They formed around 200,000 years ago (a.k.a. babies, especially compared to Valles Caldera, the state’s dormant super volcano) through fissure eruptions, in which magma seeps through cracks in the earth’s crust and then cools down to mix with ash and cinder to create volcanoes. Most volcanoes are formed when magma rises through central vertical vents, so that alone makes these volcanoes unique, particularly in the Southwest landscape, as they’re more often found in oceans. Besides that, there aren’t many cities in the U.S. with young volcanoes on their outskirts.
The Albuquerque Volcanoes have been an important sacred site for different Indigenous tribes for millennia. The Pueblo people view them as connections to their ancestors and the spirit world, while others, like Navajos and Apaches, believe they were created by ancient spiritual beings. Many of the 20,000 petroglyphs or rock carvings in the Petroglyph National Monument are connected to the volcanoes, which you can explore respectfully by hiking one of the handful of trails in the monument. Since the volcanoes are still considered sacred sites, the designated paths take you around or close to them but don’t reach the summit, since many believe that climbing to the top is an act of desecration.
Hiking around the Albuquerque Volcanoes
The Volcanoes Day Use Area offers free access to a trail system around the volcanoes. The parking lot is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the area is officially open from sunrise to sunset. Note that these paths don’t include petroglyphs except for one that can be connected to a petroglyph trail. These trails range in difficulty, with easy options that are family-friendly, like the 1-mile JA Volcano and Albuquerque Overlook path that takes you to a scenic overlook with views of Albuquerque, the Rio Grande Valley, and the Sandia Mountains…