If you want a tour of the county-owned Petroglyph Hill property in the Galisteo Basin, you'll have to take a number.

Santa Fe County issued a news release Wednesday with dates for reservation-only tours of the archaeologically rich area. But the 60 slots — four tours of 15 people each — filled up before the information could be distributed to the general public, according to Open Space and Trails Director Beth Mills.

Within hours, Mills said, about half the slots where reserved by city and county employees, and the other half were taken by nongovernment employees who may have gotten the news from family or friends who received the original e-mail announcing the tours.

"It was first come, first served, and we are going to set up more dates," Mills said. "I'm already taking names for a waiting list. It just shows that we need to get that place opened up, it's just really hard to manage."

Santa Fe County purchased the 780 acres for $2.2 million in 2000, but the property has never been opened to the public.

Rough terrain, lack of facilities and unprotected archaeological sites make the land unsuitable for unrestricted public access, Mills said.

A plan for managing the land and public use of it is in the works, but is expected to take two or three more years to complete. "Until that is in place, it will have to be these docent-led trips," Mills said.

To have your name placed on a waiting list to view the area, contact Mills at 992-9857 or bmills@santafecounty.org.