Mesa Verde National Park guide · 1 min read
Petroglyph Point and Spruce Canyon Trails
The Petroglyph Point Trail is a 2.4-mile round-trip loop that starts just behind the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum, on the paved path toward Spruce Tree House.
The park recommends hiking it counterclockwise. Early views open onto Spruce and Navajo Canyons, and once you pass the Spruce Tree House viewpoint, the path runs across the crest of the mesa.
Then the trail drops into Spruce Canyon and traverses its side. Boulders force the path into a winding line. Stone staircases, some of them narrow, carry you to a sizable carved panel roughly 1.4 miles in. The panel holds rock carvings made by Ancestral Puebloans.
Past the panel, the rugged stretch carries on. A 100-foot cliff blocks the way, and the climb to the mesa top is over rock and uneven sandstone steps, with some scrambling involved. Back on high ground, the route winds through pinyon-juniper forest to close the loop. Expect steep elevation changes and loose rock, since the park rates the trail very challenging, with narrow passages, steep drop-offs, and an elevation change of 227 feet.
The Spruce Canyon Trail is also 2.4 miles round-trip, but the park rates it strenuous, with an elevation change of 558 feet. It begins at the Spruce Tree House Overlook, descends the floor of Spruce Tree Canyon by switchbacks, and climbs back to Chapin Mesa near the picnic area. At the junction on the canyon floor, a pair of wooden markers point the way, one reading Petroglyph and the other Spruce Canyon.
Most of the park's trails are strenuous and include steep climbs, and these two fit that pattern. Some routes give little shade, and summer heat can be intense, so bring plenty of water. Either trail requires registration, so complete it before you head out.
