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Bandelier National Monument

A magical place with beauty at every corner, Bandelier is home to the Ancestral Pueblo people, whose culture was shaped by their life on this land. We welcome you to Bandelier National Monument.

Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos, NM

A Bit of History

Bandelier National Monument is a historic reminder of the Ancestral Pueblo people who built their settlements on this land dating back to 11,000 years ago. At least 23 tribal nationals still hold strong ties to this land. Their cultures, traditions, and religious beliefs continue to shape this beautiful land where most of the structures date back two eras.

The Drive to the Trail

From where we were staying, Bandelier was about a 30-minute drive away. Los Alamos is a small town, so it's very easy to get around. It was snowing during the time that we visited but the roads had been cleared well, so we felt safe driving to the monument. The long road through the mountains leads you straight to the visitor center. Bandelier normally charges $25 for parking per vehicle, but if you have the National Park Pass you are allowed unlimited entrances. Once you enter the visitor center, you will need to go in and pay for the parking or show your National Parks pass and place your ticket/pass on the dashboard of your car.

The Trail

Before you start the trail, there is a museum inside the visitor center that is worth checking out. Here you will learn a lot about the Ancestral Pueblo history, culture, and traditions. It'll help you understand more of what you will see throughout your hike.

Bandelier has many miles of trails with beautiful sites to see. Some of the most popular trails include the Main Loop Trail, Falls Trail, Alcove House Trail, Frey Trail, and Yapashi Pueblo Trail. Since we only had a few hours to hike, we decided to only do the Main Loop Trail and Alcove House Trail, but we do plan to come back in the future to explore more of Bandeliers beauty.

The Pueblo Loop Trail, also known as the Main Loop Trail, a 1.4-mile loop, is one of the easier trails to hike in Bandelier. In this trail you will see the Big Kiva, Tyuonyi, Talus House, and the Long House.

The Big Kiva is a large underground room that was used for religious and political gatherings by the Ancestral Pueblo people. This Kiva was once covered by a roof and people would enter the room using a ladder on the ceiling.

Big Kiva, Main Loop Trail

The Tyuonyi had over 400 rooms and stood 1-2 stories high. This is where many Ancestral Pueblo people lived and stored food. Tyuonyi is one of many pueblos in Bandelier, however many have not been touched and unexcavated due to the request of the modern Pueblo people today.

Tyuonyi Pueblo, Main Loop Trail

Talus House, located at the foot of the cliff, used to be a cluster of houses. Surrounding the Talus House are about 12-15 cave rooms also known as Cavates. There are ladders that you can climb to see the inside of the Cavates and once you are inside you will see a beautiful view down the Frijoles Canyon.

Talus House, Main Loop Trail

Long House is one of the largest cave and masonry dwellings found at Bandelier. They were built at the foot of the cliffs allowing them to be 2-3 stories high and stretching for almost 800 feet.

Long House, Main Loop Trail

Halfway through the Main Loop Trail, you will find the trail that leads towards the Alcove House Trail, also known as Ceremonial Cave. This trail is about another half mile from the Main Loop. This alcove is 140 feet off the ground, which made it our favorite part of the hike because we got to climb tall ladders. This hike is a bit challenging and can be very dangerous, so please be careful. The park will sometimes close this area during the winter due to ice and snow on the ladders, so definitely be on the lookout for any closure updates on their website. Thankfully, when we went in early January, the Alcove House was open.

Alcove House, Alcove House Trail

Bandelier National Monument was a very fun hike, and we enjoyed every moment. See our gallery below for more pictures of this hike.

Tips and Things to Know

Bandelier National Monument is open daily from 9am to 6pm, unless there are heavy snowstorms or other emergencies. Reservations are not needed, however, like mentioned before, it is a $25 parking fee. The hike we did, took about 2-3 hours to complete but that's because we were stopping to take pictures. In total, it is about a 2.5-mile hike. It is not dog friendly, so pups will have to stay at home.

Few tips to follow:

  • Get there early! There is limited parking, and it can get very crowded.
  • Only climb into cavates that have ladders.
  • Respect Kivas, which are important social and spiritual spaces.
  • Don’t deface any structures or surfaces.
  • Don’t stand on Tyuonyi walls or structures.
  • Stick to the trail.
  • Stay hydrated.
  • Wear your sunscreen!
  • We recommend you wear comfortable shoes.
  • Be mindful of other people.
  • Watch out for wildlife.
  • Pick up your trash.
  • Have fun!

For more information on Bandelier National Monument, you can call: (505)672-3861 or visit their website.

Where We Stayed

For this trip, we decided to use Harvest Host and stayed at Bathtub Row Brewery You can only stay at this location if you have a subscription with Harvest Host, which is $84.15/year. By having this subscription, you are able to stay at various locations around the US for one night for free!

Bathtub Row Brewery was very welcoming, the owners and employees were very helpful and attentive to our needs. We got to enjoy live jazz music and they had a selection of beers, ciders, wines, and much more. Although they don't serve food, you are able to bring food from nearby restaurants.

The parking spot they gave us was behind the Brewery near the street. Since we have a 25ft travel trailer, it was a bit of a tight fit, but we managed to get it in. There are no hookups so we did have to boondock. We did feel exposed since it was in the middle of the town and anyone could drive by us, but the owners and employees from the restaurant helped keep us safe.

Given that the Bathtub Row Brewery was nearby our destination, Bandelier, we were able to go sightseeing without a hassle and had an enjoyable time in Los Alamos.

Pictures by Juliza Sofia Giron

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