Park Hours (Today)
7:00AM - 5:00PM
Aztec Ruins National Monument Visitor Center: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
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Plan your Aztec Ruins trip
About the Park
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.
What to See & 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.
Self-Guided Tours
Aztec West Self-Guided Audio Tour
Please note: stops 19 through 26 are cultural stories and do not have a corresponding numbered post on the self-guided trail. This trail guide invites you to experience Aztec Ruins from two perspectives: Interpretations based on excavations, research, and consultations with modern Southwestern tribes and the poetic, personal stories by a resident of Santa Clara Pueblo, one of several communities whose members are descendants of the people who lived throughout the Four Corners Region nine centuries ago.
Visitor Centers
Aztec Ruins National Monument Visitor Center
A historic Visitor Center with museum exhibits and a 15-minute park film. The Visitor Center is open 9:00am-5:00pm every day, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Parking & Access
Getting Here
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.
Official NPS directionsParking Lots
Parking Lot
There is a paved parking lot when you enter into Aztec Ruins National Monument. Cars are prompted to park in the parking lot outside the visitor center. Buses/RVs/trailers are prompted to park in the larger spots to the left of the visitor center.
Open in MapsGetting Here & Transit
How to Get Here
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.
Park Amenities
Operating Hours
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.
- Monday7:00AM - 5:00PM
- Tuesday7:00AM - 5:00PM
- Wednesday7:00AM - 5:00PM
- Thursday7:00AM - 5:00PM
- Friday7:00AM - 5:00PM
- Saturday7:00AM - 5:00PM
- Sunday7:00AM - 5:00PM
Photos
Interior of a reconstructed great kiva
Rainbow over the reconstructed Great Kiva
Winter snow on stone ruins
Original "T-shaped" doorway in stone ruins
When to Go
Crowd CalendarPlan your trip around peak seasons to avoid crowds or embrace the energy of the busy months. Our crowd predictions are based on historical NPS Visitor Use Statistics.
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Best Time
May-September
Trip Length
1 day
Planning Aztec Ruins National Monument
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