BANDELIER

Last Updated on September 11, 2023 by

A great day trip to see ancient Pueblo Cliff Dwellings. It goes without saying that this National Monument is a stones throw from nowhere. Although in this case, it is also surrounded by HUGE “No Trespassing” signs posted by the Los Alamos National Laboratory on account of all the nuclear weapons testing they did/do there.

The visitors center is located in the remains of a hotel established here in the early 1900’s and is still in great condition. Apropos of nothing, there was an Indian kid, not Native American, running the café and they had a ridiculous selection of loose leaf teas. Just completely incongruous to the setting and had to be mentioned. The best loose leaf tea shop I have visited in a long time. Crazy, but true. They were closing down when we got there after our hike, so had to do a quick perusal of the menu and order before sitting down outside to enjoy. On a side note, we went back to the park specifically for the tea shop because we (she) wanted to enjoy the full tea experience. But, lo and behold, they were closed. Massive sad face. They are only open 5 days a week. Alas alack, we’ll just have to visit again when we make Round Trip #2 to the west.

The cliff dwellings themselves have largely been reduced to the actual cliffs with little remnant of the dwellings. It is clear to see the remnants of post holes for the foundation of two and three story structures.

Fun fact, the cliffs look like they are made of sandstone, but no, they are actually formed by compacted volcanic ash called “tuff” which was spewed from two massive volcanic eruptions that happened here more than a million years ago.

There is still a substantive stone ring at ground level comprised of several hundred smaller rooms that at one time housed several hundred people.

The Main Loop Trail is a short 1.4 mile loop trail to tour the entire site. It should take a leisurely hour to complete the loop. There are several cliff caves still visible that have been carved by hand and stone tools along the route.

There is also a kiva (an underground formation used for religious or other significant ceremonies) at the top of the cliff that requires a short climb up several ladders and provides a fantastic overlook of the entire valley and nearly all of the settlement. This ladder section is known as the Alcove House Trail.

Well worth the climb although I was shocked that nearly half the people we saw on the trail were afraid to make the climb. It’s 175 feet elevation change in total, but the ladders are short and the cliff edge has a very sturdy guard rail. “Minor he says. Judge-y much?! To anyone who is vertically challenged these ladders are pretty daunting as evidenced by the dude in front of us who took one look and said “nope”.

To each their own. I will continue to judge merrily along, thank you very much. Ultimately, taking the Main Loop Road alone and seeing the engineering and ingenuity of a truly ancient people is worth the trip. Taken alone, allow yourself 2-3 hours, but it makes for a great half day itinerary if you include one of the short trails on property.
Reading this post so far, you might think this is a Not So Spectacular park to visit. However, if you think about the history and what the Ancestral Puebloans were able to accomplish here, you just might think again. There are more than 33 thousand acres to this park which include standing masonry walls, petroglyphs, agricultural areas, carved cliff dwellings, and a kiva built high within the cliff, all going back over a thousand years. These 33K+ acres cover the ancestral and traditional lands of 23 tribal nations. A-Mazing. We only managed to do one hike around the Main Loop Trail, though there are 70 miles on 14 different trails.

Clearly more to see and do than we accomplished in one afternoon. Included here are the short hikes we missed.

Tsankawi – A 1.5 mile trail located on SH4 twelve miles from the main section of the park.
Falls Trail – A 1.5 mile trail starting at the end of the Backpacker’s Parking Lot near the visitor center ending at the Upper Falls
Frey Trail – A 1.5 mile trail trail beginning at Juniper Campground and descending down to the canyon floor
Frijolito Loop Trail – A 2.5 mile trail beginning in Cottonwood Picnic Area climbing into and out of Frijoles Canyon
Tyuonyi Overlook Trail – A 2.2 mile beginning at Juniper Campground to an overlook of Frijoles Canyon
Burnt Mesa Trail – A 2.5 mile trail beginning a half mile west of TA 49 on HW4 and ending at a side canyon of Frijoles Canyon
Alamo Boundary Trail – A 2.6 out and back trail from FS 289 to the boundary between the monument and the Valles Caldera National Preserve