Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: April 2024
Bandelier National Monument is located in northern New Mexico. Its landscape has been shaped by two massive volcanoes that erupted more than a million years ago. It features mesas, canyons and several ancestral Pueblo dwellings. While most of the park is wilderness, there are a few hiking trails in the Frijoles Canyon where many of the dwellings are found.
While staying in Santa Fe we took a day trip to Bandelier. We arrived at the park first thing in the morning. One of the advantages to visiting during the shoulder season, besides being less busy and less hot, is that we could drive to the visitor centre. Since there isn’t much parking available, the park now operates a free, but mandatory shuttle typically from mid-May to mid-October.
Along the way to the visitor centre we stopped at the Frijoles Canyon Overlook. This area was once covered with flows of compressed volcanic ash, known as tuff. Over time, water has carved deep canyons into the tuff plateau.
The ancestral Pueblo people lived here from about 1150 to 1550. They built their homes and villages in the volcanic tuff and planted crops on the mesas. Over time and after a severe drought, they moved on.
There are over 100 kilometres of hiking trails in the park. The most popular of which is the Pueblo Loop Trail (2.4km loop, rated easy), which starts behind the visitor centre. We put on some sunscreen, packed a day pack, got the baby in the carrier, and got right to it.
The first stretch of the trail is paved and relatively flat. After a few hundred metres the trail passes by Tyuonyi, an ancestral village. It was once one to two stories tall and had over 400 rooms, most of which were used for storing food. It is estimated that about 100 ancestral Pueblo people may have lived here with another 400 residing in the cliff dwellings.
We then made our way up towards the cave dwellings that are built along the base of the canyon walls. This is where the path becomes more rugged and involves walking up several steps. There are also two short ladders affixed to the canyon walls so you can climb up and take a peek inside two of the dwellings. These were thought to have been used for storage. There was a third dwelling, the Cave Kiva, but there was a sign to indicate that it’s been closed due to vandalism.
All that climbing up gave us a nice overlook of the ruins of Tyuonyi that we passed earlier. There were also some interesting rock formations.
We made our way back down. The trail then passes by the Long House, which has also been built along the base of the cliff. There are reputed to be petroglyphs carved into the cliff walls behind the dwellings, but we couldn’t see any from the trail.
We did however see some cacti that were starting to bloom,
The trail comes to a junction where there’s an option to make a detour to Alcove House (which adds another kilometre and a half round trip to the hike). The path is wide and flat and winds through the forest. Along the way we passed by the cutest looking squirrel, the Abert’s squirrel. They are common in the southern Rockies and like to feed off the cones of Ponderosa pine trees.
The trail leads to Alcove House which was once home to about 25 ancestral Pueblo people. To get there requires climbing up four wooden ladders and a series of stone stairs. K stayed behind with the baby. He found a bench in the shade to let M out of her baby carrier and kick around while I continued onward to Alcove House.
While most of the homes are gone, the kiva still stands, part of which has been reconstructed.
I didn’t stay long as there were a few other people up at the top. I wanted to head down before them as there is no opportunity to pass people on the ladders. We got M back into her baby carrier and walked back the way we came. Once we reached the junction, we completed the rest of the Pueblo Loop Trail. We wrapped up around noon and decided to eat lunch at the picnic area in the middle of the parking lot, which was nicely shaded by the trees.
L
Hi,
I love reading your very well written stories an seeing you beautiful pictures… but keep wondering, are you a professional writer and photographer?
You travel from Alaska to Mexico, how do you do it? Do you travel for work or for holidays?
We cannot visit most of these places because we live in Holland… my love for Canada , where I lived throughout the seventies, makes me connect with your stories.
Thank you so very much!
And congratulations with your little daughter!
We always try to visit a park when we visit my older relatives in Canada…
Very nice memories of some of the parks you describe.. have you ever visited Parc de la Verendrye.. there was a place with very nice orchids there..
also I can recommend Misery Bay interprative centre … an island with special rock formation( you can look it up) and of course in the rocky mountains Lake Louise when the ice is just melting, and Tyrell museum with the dinosaurs..
As you can see the very best experiences in our life have been connected to the nature in Canada!
No other country can compare to Canada..
I do not know America I must say.
Now that we are pensioners we do not travel much.
That is why reading your vlog is so nice, I really like the way you describe the stories!
I am following your blog since a year or so, and have wanted to write before .. but have now taken the step to do so!
Well again thank you very much again for your beautiful stories and photo’s
And I wish you all the very best, with love from Marianne
Zutphen, the Netherlands
Hi Marianne! Many thanks for your lovely comment. I’m an economist who just really loves taking pictures, spending time in nature and travelling. We make great use of our weekends, holidays and vacation days! Travelling looks a bit different these days for us as we’re adjusting to life with a baby, but so far she’s been such a champ and seems to enjoy being outdoors.
I loved that you tried to visit a park every time you came to Canada. You’re absolutely right about how Canada is so special, especially our wilderness. We’ve been to Misery Bay, Lake Louise in Banff and the Tyrell museum as well, but haven’t visited Parc de la Verendrye. Something to add to the list for when we visit Quebec.
My family is actually from the Netherlands (in Groningen). I’ve been a few times, but not recently. I’d love to take my little one there when she’s a bit older.
Cheers, Linda
Thanks for your interesting and enjoyable post about this Monument park. I visited many years ago and found it fascinating. Great photo of you!
Thanks for your lovely comment. We had a wonderful time at Bandelier enjoying the scenery and cave dwellings. It was interesting to imagine how people once lived here.
This is absolutely Beautiful Thank you so much for sharing.
Looks like something I would need to add to my Bucket List.
It was neat to pass by the ruins and cave dwellings and imagine what it must have been like to build and live in them. There’s so much history here. We had a wonderful time in New Mexico and wished we could have stayed for longer. It’s definitely worth adding to your travel bucket list.
An amazing place! ❤️
For sure. So much history. And the scenery was stunning. It was also nice to finally enjoy some blue skies and sunshine.
Come to Las Vegas, we have 300+ days per year of sunshine. 🌞
Just our luck that we got rain when we visited Las Vegas back in January 2023. We’d love to return someday as there were a bunch of parks, like Valley of the Fire, that we didn’t have enough time to explore.
Bummer! The Valley of fire is amazing! Next time I’ll buy you guys lunch!
All the more reason to return then 🙂
Yes!
This is great! I happen to be going there in three weeks. Would love to hear about Santa Fe as well!
That’s so exciting!! You’re going to have the best time. We wished we could have stayed a bit longer in New Mexico as there’s so many other cave dwellings and ruins that we just didn’t have enough time to explore. We’re actually thinking we might return later in the fall.
Interesting history and so glad it’s still here for us to explore. After reading this I did a little research to learn how Pueblo people created their cliff dwelling homes (carved with hand tools and added mud bricks) . … “the Cave Kiva, but there was a sign to indicate that it’s been closed due to vandalism.”… People make me so sad sometimes.
For sure. It’s incredible to think of how much work was involved to construct these buildings and cliff dwellings. I can’t imagine it was an easy life back then. It was disappointing to hear how one of the structures was vandalized. I just don’t understand why someone would do something like that. Why bother visiting a place like this if you clearly don’t appreciate its history and understand its significance.
Such a cool peek into history!
You bet. It was fun to wander through the ruins and to climb up some of those ladders to check out the dwellings. It gives you a sense of what life was like back then. They must have been in great shape, but wow, what a hard life.
It looks very interesting Linda. Mark says he has also visited here so hopefully I’ll get there one day as well!
Bandelier was one of the highlights of our road trip through New Mexico. It was neat to climb up some of the ladders and see inside a few of the dwellings. Glad to hear that your son has also visited. It’s definitely worth adding to your list for when you visit.
I’m always so fascinated by cave dwellings. Imagine what their lives were like in such conditions. Thanks for the tour 🙂 Maggie
Oh I know! It’s pretty amazing how they were able to construct these dwellings with such primitive tools. It was fun to climb up the ladders and peek inside some of them. Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful Canada Day long weekend. Linda
Wow! That place looks like have a very special energy.
Must be a wonderful experience, great photos.
Thank’s for share Linda, keep enjoyng.
Have a nice day!
Absolutely. There’s so much history here. It was neat to pass through the ruins and imagine what it must have been like to live here. Thanks so much for reading and for your lovely comment. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Linda
NM is so great. I’ve not been to this monument in about 20-years, but loved it. I hope that you get to see Los Alamos too. The museum is fantastic. Santa Fe and Taos are also magical. Enjoy it!
Bandelier was one of the highlights of our road trip through New Mexico. It was fun to scamper up the ladders and peek inside some of the dwellings. We actually drove through Los Alamos afterwards to check out the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. We unfortunately didn’t have enough time for Taos or a few other spots further south like Carlsbad and the Gila Cliff Dwellings. I guess this just means we’ll have to come back. Cheers. Linda
Agreed!
NM is my favorite place to drive to for a vacation. The pace is slow and there is so much to see.
My son and I went to Carlsbad in August of 2022 and the bat presentation made me cry. Those caves are very different from Mammoth Caves.
You can see well from the ridge the great reef in TX. It’s worth the extra 5-hour drive.
We felt a very laid back vibe in New Mexico as well. It was lovely. Plus the weather was pleasant.
The caverns in Carlsbad look amazing, but it must have been so special to see the bat flight. We were thinking of doing a road trip through southern New Mexico and the area around Dallas, San Antonio and southern New Mexico at some point. There just never seems to be enough time to see it all.
You’re so right. I know have a Google Doc to make sure that as long as I’m healthy, I can still hike the 50 states.
If you do make it to SAT, please drive through the Hill Country and hike Enchanted Rock. It doesn’t even look like TX!
What a fabulous goal to hike in every state. I’d love to visit every national park. I’ve just made a note of Hill Country and Enchanted Rock. Thanks for the suggestions!
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We had a lot of fun exploring the ruins and learning more about the history of the ancestral Puebloans. Thanks for stopping by. Linda
Such an interesting history, and looks like beautiful nature and landscape! I’ve never been to New Mexico, but really hoping I can go one day!
New Mexico has a vibrant culture and a lot of history. It was fascinating to learn more about the ancestral Puebloans and visit some of the ruins, cave dwellings and petroglyphs. Plus the scenery is stellar. Hopefully you’re able to see it all for yourself someday. It’s a fantastic state to take a road trip.
Bandelier is such a cool place to visit. Like at Hovenweep and Mesa Verde, the cliff dwellings and ancient ruins are so interesting to see and explore. Your photos are great and a captured the beauty of the area. I want to visit again!
Thanks for your lovely comment. It was fascinating to explore the ruins at Bandelier, which included climbing up the ladders, and learning about the history of the ancestral Pueblo people. It’s incredible to think how they built these structures with primitive tools and hard labour. And it’s amazing how much has survived. We visited Mesa Verde later on our trip, but I’ll have to keep Hovenweep in mind for the next time we’re in the area. I want to go back again too!
A fascinating location with so much interest, love the cave type dwellings. I chuckled at the name “Frijoles Canyon”, but you can see from the photo how it got its name.
The cave dwellings were super interesting and it was a lot of fun to climb up those ladders. I’m so glad it wasn’t busy as otherwise I’m sure we would have had a different experience. It’s too bad we didn’t pack some frijoles for lunch as that would have been very fitting!
What a beautiful place 😍.
You bet. The scenery was lovely and it was a lot of fun to explore the ruins and cave dwellings. And it was nice to finally enjoy some blue skies and sunshine on our trip!
Beautiful photos! Looks like a fun excursion.
Thanks for your kind words. It definitely was a a lot of fun to explore the ruins, especially climbing those really tall ladders to get to the Alcove House. I’m so glad it wasn’t busy.
I’m proud of your ladder climbing process! I don’t think I could do it.
Haha, thanks! The trick is to just focus on one step at a time and to not look up (or down)! I’m just glad it wasn’t crowded so I could go at my own pace without feeling rushed. I imagine the ladders can create a huge backlog when it’s busy though.
I’m sure they do. I did a ranger led tour at Mesa Verde and that was three or four 8 foot ladders. They limited the tour to maybe twenty people and it was still kind of slow at times.
There are other tours that involve 20 and 30 foot ladders but I was not game for that!
We visited Mesa Verde later on our road trip, but were a bit too early in the season and the tours weren’t running yet. It was probably a good thing though as I doubt we could have climbed up those ladders with the baby, even if she was in her carrier. I can only imagine how much waiting would be involved to climb those ladders on the tour! And wow, a 20 and 30 foot ladder sounds intense! I can only imagine how sketchy it must have been for the ancestral Puebloans at the time!
lol. It was sketchy enough for me! I can’t imagine living as they did all those years ago.
I suspect they wouldn’t let you take an infant on these tours. I can’t remember all the rules but it seems like there were several.
No kidding. I imagine their ladders probably weren’t as stable and secure as the ones that are being used now. You’re probably right about how infants aren’t allowed on the tours. Ladders and infants do not seem like a good combination!
lol. I can’t even imagine taking a little one on my tour.
This looks like a great place to explore Linda. Those ladders would be killer for some, but what a chance to see how life was lived in the past. Looks like you had good weather. How were the temperatures in April? Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend. Allan
It was a very interesting place to visit and learn more about the history of the ancestral Puebloans. The ladders were a lot of fun to climb, but could definitely be problematic when it’s busy or for those that are out of shape or have a fear of heights. The weather was quite lovely in New Mexico in April. It was in the mid to high 20Cs. There wasn’t much protection from the sun though. I ended up using my umbrella for some shade coverage, largely to protect the little one. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of the Canada Day long weekend. Linda
Visiting Bandelier National Monument is like visiting a museum and national park all in one. I love the rugged and beautiful canyon as well as the dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs! It’s amazing to think about how they carved homes and living spaces in the soft rock that protected them in the winter and kept them cool in the summer. Such a fascinating place to explore, Linda! Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Oh I know! The self-guided trail through the ruins and cliff dwellings was such a fun and dynamic way to learn more about the history of the area. And the scenery itself was beautiful. It’s pretty incredible how they thought to carve their homes in the cliffs. And then how they made it happen with such basic and primitive tools. It was definitely a tough life in extreme conditions. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Linda
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Beautiful place and fascinating to think about the lives of those that lived there. Thanks for sharing the photos and interesting facts!
For sure. As we were exploring the ruins, it was interesting to imagine what life was like for the ancestral Pueblo people. I couldn’t imagine climbing into some of those cave dwellings on a regular basis!
Based on your photos, I can’t imagine climbing into caves regularly either. I’m sure after seeing them in person it is even more impressive!
Oh absolutely. That’s true with many places where a photograph doesn’t really do it justice. But it helps to capture the memory!
The weather looks glorious! I guess you won’t be surprised if I say I would love to visit those cave dwellings. It’s unfortunate though that one of them had to be closed due to vandalism. I kind of imagine one day when M has grown up she will return to this place and scale those ladders herself to Alcove House, where many years before that she waited at a bench near the trailhead.
It was so nice to finally enjoy some blue skies and sunshine during our road trip. The ruins and cave dwellings were a lot of fun to explore, especially the ones that required climbing up a ladder. Tt was sad to hear about how one of the dwellings was closed due to vandalism. I just don’t get it. Agreed, it would be neat to return with M when she’s older and retrace our footsteps. The issue is that our travel list only seems to be getting longer and longer!
What a fascinating hike and visit you took. The landscape is amazing and what remains of the old home gives a really good glimpse into a time long gone.
It’s a part of the States I would never have thought about visiting until I saw your post!
I can’t believe how long it’s taken us to finally visit New Mexico. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the landscape is and how much fun it was to explore some of the ruins and cliff dwellings from the ancestral Pueblo people. There’s so much interesting history here. We only spent a few days before heading back to Colorado, but I’d love to return to explore this state more fully. Plus the nice weather is always an added bonus, especially in the winter.
Very interesting. We’ve been curious above New Mexico, and this is a nice appetizer.
For some reason we’ve often overlooked New Mexico. I’m glad we visited, even if it was just for a few days, as it was fascinating to learn more about its history. Plus the weather was lovely and the food was tasty.
What a fascinating place! I love the rock formations, too.
It was super interesting to learn about the history of this place while exploring the ruins. It’s neat to imagine what it must have been like to live here and construct these dwellings in and around the cliffs.
Ooooh, Alcove House is open again! It was closed when we visited. I’m bummed we missed out on it, it looks cool!
That sucks that Alcove House was closed when you visited. It was a lot of fun to climb up the series of tall ladders. I might not have felt the same way if it was busy though! I guess this means you’ll just have to return at some point 🙂
Oh wow, such an awesome park. The rocks are just so unique – I’d love to visit this part of the US!
It was neat to learn more about the ancestral Puebloans and see where they used to live. Plus the landscape is pretty spectacular. I’m such a fan of all the red rocks and sandstone cliffs.
It’s amazing to see how people lived thousands of years ago … I mean, those cave dwellings are fascinating. Ah, and it’s always a bonus to see any animal – love the squirrel! I’ll leave the ladders for brave people like you … maybe I’ll find someone’s baby to babysit!
It was a lot of fun to explore the ruins and imagine what it must have been like to live here. It’s pretty remarkable how well preserved some of the cliff dwellings are and that the foundations from many of the buildings are still standing. That was the cutest looking squirrel I’ve ever seen! Ours don’t look like that back home in southern Ontario. As for the ladders, they were pretty sturdy. I’m just glad it wasn’t busy otherwise I probably would have passed on climbing them. We tested baby’s patience a lot on this trip!
Thanks for the wonderful post. I’ve made a few trips to the Santa Fe area but have never visited Bandelier National Monument. It is surprising that they let people on the ladders given all of the knuckleheads out there.
Thanks for your lovely comment. Bandelier was a fun day trip and great way to learn more about the history of the ancestral Puebloans. I’m so glad it wasn’t very busy when we visited as I’m sure those ladders can create a huge backlog, especially for the Alcove House. I wouldn’t be surprised if they introduce some sort of permit system, similar to what they’ve done with Angel’s Landing.
We love visiting the Native American sites out west, and these are ones we have yet to visit. Such deep , old, and interesting history! Hard to fathom that far back!! Great post- I’m fascinated
Oh I know! The ancestral Puebloans have such a fascinating history. It was really neat to explore some of the ruins and cliff dwellings and try to imagine life must have been like for them. Bandelier was one of our favourite spots. Hope you’re able to check it out sometime.
Mmmmm, those ladders came in handy. Love your shots a bunch🤩 I wish we had such trails here would have loved this type of adventure.
The ladders were a lot of fun to climb. Plus they gave us a glimpse into some of the cliff dwellings. I’m so glad it wasn’t busy so we could take our time and enjoy it.
What a sense of adaptation the Pueblo people have shown, which gives us hope in the face of the new challenges that lie ahead.
It’s pretty remarkable how they were able to plan and build a community in such a harsh environment and with primitive tools. Their architecture was quite advanced for the time.
It just blows my mind how they created homes from the rocks. Absolutley incredible place with beautiful desert views 🙂
Oh I know. The ancestral Puebloans were pretty crafty and creative. I can only imagine how sketchy their ladders were! Not a bad view to wake up to every day though.
Such a fascinating site in such a dramatic location. The holes in the rocks give some parts of these dwellings a Swiss cheese-like look. I appreciated the supporting shots of the cacti and the scampering Abert’s squirrel. The final ladder shot looks precarious but so much fun to tackle.
From afar you couldn’t even tell they were cliff dwellings. The Swiss cheese-like look is such a great description. I wonder how they got into the last one at Alcove House. I imagine their ladders were probably kind of sketchy! The Abert’s squirrel was super cute. I’ve never seen one before.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It was great that the park provided a trail guide so we could learn more about the history of the area during our hike.
Great photos. I was there a couple of years ago with cousins that didn’t want to do a longer hike. Imagine what it was like when it was a village inhabited by so many people!
What an interesting place and a look back at a different way of life. Ah the climbing they did but the safety that it
allowed them. Sad to hear about the vandalism.
It’s incredible how they constructed their village in such a harsh environment and that remnants from it still exist. I’m sure it was a tough life. And they must have been super fit to climb up to those cliff dwellings. I can only imagine how sketchy their ladders must have been! Agreed, it was sad to hear about the vandalism. People can be so disappointing sometimes.
Clearly you love blogging about some great things you’ve seen, even with little baby. Blog post brings back some memories. I didn’t go up any ladder at the time.
We weren’t sure what it would be like to travel with a baby, but we were pleasantly surprised at how much we were still able to do. We just worked around her nap schedule. Granted she wasn’t crawling or eating solids yet so things were much easier. It was fascinating to explore the ruins and some of the cliff dwellings at Bandelier and the ladders added an extra element of fun on the trail. I’m so glad it wasn’t busy!
By the way, I loved that unique long-eared squirrel that of that area!
Oh my gosh! That was the cutest looking squirrel I’ve ever seen! At first we thought it might have been a bunny because of the ears. I’ve never seen that type before.
Oh my gosh!!!! That Albert’s squirrel is soooo cute!!! I’ve always wondered what kind of squirrels they were. I’ve never traveled, here but I’ve seen these squirrels in photos. Those formations are incredible. I would love to climb into those!
It was honestly the cutest squirrel I’ve ever seen! At first I thought it was some kind of bunny. The scenery in Bandelier is beautiful. It was also a lot of fun to climb the series of ladders to take a peak inside some of the cave dwellings. It makes you wonder what it would have been like to live there.