Very cool and off the beaten path... Who would have thought that the Bureau of Land Management would have a trove of prehistoric rock art available to hike through to the public? We just happened upon it, and headed out of Alamogordo and Tularosa you will find yourself in Three Rivers. The location is one of the few locations in the Southwest set aside for visitors to view its more than 21,000 drawings of birds, humans, animals and more. If you like nature this place has a small 0.5 mile hike around the northern Chihuahuan Dessert. The site allows for hiking, picnicking, and rock interpretation. It's clean and pretty isolated. They have restroom facilities on site. The volunteer that received us was from El Paso, so we got a long well. If you need to kill some time and enjoy the outdoors, this is a nice place to burn an hour looking at some pre-history. read more

Three Rivers Petroglyph Site - Tooo many fingers - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Tularosa, New Mexico

The petroglyphs were great, but be careful with following the trail. It isn't well marked. read more

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I had gone here as a young child and was excited about coming back! Beautiful drive to get there. Be sure to bring water, HIKING SHOES, more water, sunscreen, camera, snacks and plenty of time! It's well worth it! Very awe inspiring! The staff is super informative and friendly. Be sure to carry the map you're given so you don't miss anything! This is a must do adventure! read more

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Great place and Campsite, restrooms and campsite very clean and organized. One of the great BLM space read more

Three Rivers Petroglyph Site - Petroglyphs - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Tularosa, New Mexico

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Amazing site with tons of petroglyphs. good hiking trails. Friendly and knowledgeable park ranger. The place has great views. Also has a campground. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed the hike and the sites. Amazing. You lost a star because the girl at the visitor center was SOOOOOO RUDE!!! She needs to be on garbage duty or just flat fired from her cushy job. She's anything but over worked. We were November 10 2017 at 11 am. First she demanded extract change 5$. We didn't have exact change but my husband said "don't you have change from other guests so i can pay"? She said yes but that doesn't matter cash only or check. No credit cards. We had to scrounge up change. There were people there so you know she has change. We asked her a couple of questions and she interrupted us to tell us she had things to tell us first. And map and where to go. Still didn't answer questions. Like if there's bathroom facilities at end of hike etc. i can't explain it but rude is an understatement. Another couple we met said same thing. Get rid of he. The petroglyphs were an awesome thing to see too. Wish it was 5star but the government employee really put a bad taste in our mouth. read more

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A true hidden gem. In this park you get the chance to get up close to the petroglyphs. It's a great opportunity to see some amazing petroglyphs. Go ahead and walk off the beaten path for a chance to see some that others overlook. You also get the opportunity to see a prehistoric village. What you see are reconstructions of the village with more of it located on private land. This area is protected because of the looting of the precious artifacts. read more

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This is a national treasure. Well off the beaten track, this place has wonderfully preserved rock carvings some of which are over a thousand years old. Here is a video of them I took... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI9gvK1Fa0w&feature=related The hike for the petroglyphs is not at all hard, and bring water as it gets hot. From the hilltops on the trail you can get some of the most amazing vistas of Sierra Blanca and the Tularosa Basin. If you are into serious hiking, start with the trail head for Sierra Blanca and come down the other side into Three Rivers for some camping. Highly recommended. read more

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Amazing, completely stunning. The Dad has been here before with his hiking group. When he asked if the GF and I if we wanted to check it out, we went for it. Pulling up in the dirt lot, you would expect a little more of a historic or information site, a building or a park guide. Nope, just a wooden sign with decent info and the trail. It just seems odd that you would have a site that 600 yrs old and there wouldn't be anyone to protect them. I guess things have to come from Europe to be respected. The US is only 250 yrs old and yet this is part of our history. Well, on to the trail. It is really rocky and well kept. Getting on the trail, you instantly see the glyphs. They are remarkable and were screaming history; Indian history. It seemed the trail, which was good, became secondary to the glyphs. You almost forget you are on a hike. It's almost as if you are taking a pic of every tree in a wooded trail. What was heartbreaking were all of the defacing. Some people really need to learn respect. A lot of little scratches and carvings on rocks. Some with glyphs and some not. Hopefully someone in the local government will come to their senses and protect this place. This site represents the claim that our country is overtly Euro-centric. Maybe we should just be Human-centric as this is a link to our past as a species, not a race. read more

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One of my favorite spots in New Mexico! Three Rivers is about an hour north of White Sands and has a small, inexpensive campground for tents or RVs. Entrance into the site is free if you've got an America the Beautiful pass, which is a worthwhile investment if you're planning to hit several of the many parks that are in the Southwest. The petroglyphs are easy to see and several of them are even marked. They were made by the Jornada Mogollon people from about 900-1400AD, and while it might seem obvious that they were painted onto the rocks, petroglyphs were actually created by scraping away the top layer of dark patina from the rocks using hard stone tools and lots and lots of time. Having been to the more trafficked Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, I'd have to say that Three Rivers is infinitely more exciting and certainly wilder, with no houses or developments in sight. Sunsets are breathtaking here, and the mountains to the east and west make for a stunning backdrop! read more

Three Rivers Petroglyph Site - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Tularosa, New Mexico

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Fun little 1/2 mile out and back trail. My 2 year old loved it. He didn't care for the petroglyphs, mainly just the hike itself. We went at noon and it was very hot so it's probably best to go earlier in the morning or later in the after noon. The woman in the visitors center was so sweet and had a ton of information to share. Also we forgot water- d'oh. But thankfully there is a water fountain in the visitors center with cold water, and also a bathroom. read more

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Supposedly there is a mile-long hike you can take to see tons of petroglyphs here, a site that is home to over 20,000 drawings made by native peoples long, long ago. But the Bureau of Land Management employee there closed the site before 4:30pm, when the sign on the closed gate said they close at 5. The website says they have the gates open until 5, but that non-campers need to be out by 10pm during winter hours. Um, that was news to the employee there (who had a Boston accent). BLM needs to get their act together or at least try to emulate the great National Park Service or USDA National Forest Service. The short drive from the main road out to here was really nice, though. Fields on sides with the mountains before you... and the absolute quietness of the remote area...with the only sound being the sound of the wind rushing through the sagebrush. I'm sure the site is really cool and deserving of closer to 5 stars -- if you are able to see it. read more

According to the BLM, there exist 21,000 petroglyphs which were carved into the basalt about 900-1400 ad. It is kind of fun searching the area on both sides of the trail for the carvings; it is surprising that there is much difference in terms of artistic quality for each glyph. Finally I would prefer the early morning or late afternoon sun for photographic purposes since the midday light tends to bleach the black color of the basalt. read more

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This was a quick stop for me. I was on a week long road trip and decided to make a stop here. I went in the winter, so it was chilly and windy out, but it was very quiet. This place is small, so you'll be able to see most of it in a day. I took the interpretive trail that leads to a bunch of petroglyphs. The trail was easy, mostly leveled. It was neat to see so many petroglyphs on the rocks. There were all kinds of carvings, most of them primitive looking, but they're still better than what I could've done. Next to each carving was a description, so I was able to better understand them. I would recommend this place because it's compact enough to visit in a day and it's off the beaten path, so you'll have this place mostly to yourself. And I think it's amazing that there are so many petroglyphs all concentrated in one area. read more

Three Rivers Petroglpyh site is located 17 miles north of Tularosa, NM off of US 54. Turn eastward at Three Rivers onto County Road B30 and go for 5 miles. Five dollars per vehicle. Camping at seven dollars. There are two trails. No dogs permitted on trails. Rattlesnakes are common. Open year around. read more

Neat little stop. Short half mile walk (one way) and you'll see plenty of petroglyphs. It is a bit rocky on the trail so you need to watch your step, but as long as you are respectful of the rock art you can step off the trail and get a closer look. I can't comment from personal experience, but there is a wheelchair accessible path to a spotting scope. Dogs aren't allowed on the trail. Small campground present as well with 2 RV hook-up sites and 7(?) tent sites. I actually parked my little rig at the tent site and stayed the night, Very quiet and the stars were amazing. read more

Amazing! 1 mi hike easy enough for our three boys ages 7,5,2! So interesting! They have camping too for first come first serve. It's worth the drive to see this rare place. read more

This was a cute little hidden gem. The petroglyphs are so cool and the hike is nice. Beautiful mountains on both sides and we have a strong, wonderful breeze. It was a little warm and there is only 1 shaded area at the end of the loop trail. They give you a little map and send you on your way. $5 for a parking permit and that's it. read more

This place is great. Pick a cooler day, this place has a lot of walking but well worth it. Petroglyphs everywhere. We really enjoyed it. They do accept National Park passes. read more

So glad we made this stop! The kids loved it! I would suggest going early and take water. An easy hike, but in July it was HOT! Clean restrooms and nice shaded picnic tables. Be sure to take the 8mile drive to the primitive camping at the bottom of the mountains. Beautiful stream and forest!!! But watch out for bears! read more

I do my exploring online. I was looking at a photograph of one of the petroglyphs, a circle surrounded by dots. I recognized it immediately. As strange as it sounds, it seems to represent an ancient clock face. The face is divided into four equal parts, each representing a period of six hours. There are 24 dots surrounding the circle, with 6 dots exactly per equal part, thus, each dot equals one hour. read more