Prehistoric Trackways National Monument

Overview

Prehistoric Trackways National Monument is in the Robledo Mountains near the city of Las Cruces. The monument's Paleozoic Era fossils are on 5,255 acres (2,127 ha) of land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The site includes a major deposit of Paleozoic Era fossilized footprints in fossil mega-trackways of land animals, sea creatures, and insects. These are known as trace fossils or ichnofossils. There are also fossilized plants and petrified wood present, as well as plenty of marine invertebrate fossils including brachiopods, gastropods, cephalopods, bivalves, and echinoderms. Much of the fossilized material originated during the Permian Period and is around 280 million years old.

Hike to the Discovery Site (Trackways Area)

The highlight of the monument is hiking to the Discovery Site, where you can search for fossilized footprints embedded in the rock. These trackways date back roughly 280 million years and preserve the movement of ancient reptiles, amphibians, and insects across a prehistoric landscape.

Hike the Ridgeline and Trackways Loop Trails

The monument offers several informal hiking routes, with the Ridgeline and Discovery Trail loop (about 3 miles) being the most popular. These trails traverse rugged desert terrain and provide access to fossil sites along with scenic views of the Robledo Mountains.

Search for Fossils and Ancient Footprints

Prehistoric Trackways protects one of the most scientifically important Early Permian track sites in the world. Visitors can see fossilized tracks from creatures that lived long before dinosaurs, including early reptiles and amphibians, along with plant fossils and petrified wood.

Explore the Robledo Mountains Landscape

The monument is located in a remote section of the Robledo Mountains and features wide-open desert scenery, rocky canyons, and sweeping views. Hiking here combines geology, paleontology, and classic Southwest landscapes.

Learn About Prehistoric Life

The fossil trackways provide insight into ancient ecosystems and animal behavior from the Permian Period. Some of the best-preserved trackways have been moved to museums, where visitors can view large slabs and learn more about their scientific significance.

Plan for a Primitive Visit

The monument has very limited amenities, with no water, restrooms, or visitor center on-site.

This article uses material from the official Bureau of Land Management pages for Prehistoric Trackways National Monument, as well as supporting travel and park resources including Prehistoric Trackways National Monument, New Mexico Nomad Guide, Visit Las Cruces, AllTrails Guide, and New Mexico Tourism.

Some of the animals who may have left tracks in the Robledo Mountains include Dimetrodon, Eryops, Edaphosaurus, and multiple other pelycosaurs. There are at least 13 major trace fossils found at the monument.

The trackways can be difficult for the general public to find, as the monument is largely undeveloped with few facilities yet existing to aid fossil hunters. Guided hikes are periodically offered by BLM interpretive staff.

Geology

The monument lies along the western portion of the Rio Grande rift and is within part of the Robledo Mountains. It is made up of Cenozoic and Paleozoic (Hueco Group) sediments. The Hueco Group is Early Permian strata. Most of the monument is Permian and would have been underwater or along the coast of what was once the Hueco Seaway. The tracks can be found in the red rock which is called the abo red beds.

Flora and fauna

The monument is situated at the northern tip of the Chihuahuan Desert. Some examples of plants within the monument are ocotillo, mesquite, creosote bush, prickly-pear cactus, Torrey yucca, barrel cactus, sotol, agave and snakeweed. A few examples of animals are mule deer, rattlesnakes, desert cottontail, many species of lizards, and several species of birds.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Prehistoric Trackways National Monument", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0