Field Trip to Abo

When: Sat, Sep 30 2023 11:00am

Where: Salinas National Monument, Abo Unit

Our first 21 Club meeting this fall will be a field trip to the Abó Unit of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/sapu/learn/historyculture/abo.htm) on Saturday, September 30th. Besides giving us a tour of the mission ruins, the National Park Service (NPS) has given us permission to go on a guided-hike to see the petroglyphs in Canyon Espinosa on the monument.

On Saturday, Sept. 30th we will meet at the Abó Contact Station (https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/upload/SAPUmap2.pdf) at 11:00 am. Following a guided-tour of the mission ruins we will have lunch and take the guided-hike to see the petroglyphs. Plan to bring your own lunch and water.

The tour of the ruins is a level-walk on a well-maintained path. The hike to and from the petroglyphs takes roughly one-hour and follows an unmaintained trail that can be a scramble in places. If you are uncomfortable with the petroglyph-hike-aspect of the trip, you can wait at the contact station or the picnic area until the petroglyph tour group returns. If you access the link above you will see the picnic area just east of road 513 as you approach the Contact Station. At the end of the visit the Club will supply refreshments before we make our respective ways home.

There are two conditions the NPS placed on our hike to see the petroglyphs:

  1. The group on the hike can have a maximum of 15 people.
  2. If there is “excessive” moisture in the area the hike will be canceled because the trail becomes hazardous.

If we have more than 15 people that would like to visit the petroglyphs the hike will be available on a first come, first serve basis – that being the order in which I receive responses to this email expressing interest in visiting the petroglyphs.

For planning purposes please let me know as soon if you are interested in attending the field trip to Abó. In your response let me know if a significant other is also attending and whether you and/or your significant other would like to take the hike to the petroglyphs.

The Abó Unit is located roughly 10 miles west of Mountainair, New Mexico on US HWY 60, see https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/maps.htm for directions. The drive to the Abó Unit takes slightly over one-hour from the ‘Big-I’ freeway interchange.

Thanks,

Paul