Pets allowed
Allowed with Restrictions
Guided tours
Yes
Backcountry camping
No
Lodging
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

The Pecos Valley has long been a critical location both geographically and politically. The adjacent Glorieta Pass is the doorway between the Great Plains and the southwestern desert. The people of the pueblos had long interactions with the tribes of the plains, particularly nomadic Apaches. Pecos Valley later became the intersection point for the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to California and the El Camino Mission Trail from El Paso to Santa Fe.

The people of Pecos Pueblo lived here from about 1100, survived many encounters with the Spanish, and eventually abandoned the site in 1838 due to marauding Comanches. Nearby, one of the key Civil War battles fought in the West was the Battle of Glorieta Pass of 1862.

Today, the key attraction of this site is the remains of the Spanish mission church built in 1717 on the site of an older and larger churchthat was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Some very large walls of the church are intact, and their dramatic red color makes a beautiful backdrop for the puebloan ruins around it. The loop trail to explore the pueblo site is only a bit over a mile long, and it has an informative guide that is available to borrow at the visitor center.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Spring
Fall

Congestion

High

Parking Pass

Park entrance fee

Open Year-round

Yes

Pros

Beautiful ruins. Fascinating history.

Cons

None.

Features

ADA accessible
Family friendly
Flushing toilets
Potable water
Picnic tables
Historically significant
Native artifacts
Big vistas
Guided tours

Location

Nearby Adventures

Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico
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