There are places that you visit where you can feel the presence of those who have come before and the history that is held within. When I stepped onto the trail at Bandelier National Monument, I couldn’t help but envision the Ancestral Pueblo people walking along a similar path.
I’d seen pictures of cliff dwellings before, but I was still amazed that these ancient living spaces have been so well-preserved, enabling visitors to see, touch, and even climb into the same places that have been standing for centuries. Climbing ladders and peering into the hollowed-out rooms of these stone walls is like touching a piece of history.
Sometimes we visit National Parks to experience the beauty of nature, marvel at the unique landscapes, or hard-to-spy wildlife. But other times there are special places that have been designated as National Monuments to preserve a slice of history. Bandelier National Monument offers a bit of both.
Walking through the canyon surrounded by the protection of rugged cliffs, with the crisp scent of pine and juniper in the air, it isn’t hard to realize why this spot has attracted people for more than 10,000 years.
If you enjoy nature, history, and learning, you will appreciate visiting Bandelier National Monument. To help, I have put together this travel guide of tips for visiting Bandelier National Monument near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
About Bandelier National Monument
Before we dig into visiting Bandelier National Monument, I’d like to offer a land acknowledgement: Bandelier National Monument rests on the ancestral homelands of the Ancestral Pueblo people of many tribal nations, whose descendants span 23 Pueblos and tribes, including the modern-day Pueblos of Cochiti, San Ildefonso, and others, who have maintained deep ties to this land for thousands of years. I honor their enduring connection to this region, recognizing it as a place of cultural, spiritual, and historical significance.
Bandelier National Monument is located in northern New Mexico, making it an easy day trip when visiting Santa Fe or Los Alamos. The park spans over 33,000 acres of rugged canyon and mesa country, offering volcanic cliffs, deep canyons, and expansive high-desert terrain to explore. However, it is most well-known for the cliff dwellings that were used by Ancestral Pueblo people from 1150 to 1550 AD.
The cliffs’ soft volcanic tuff made a natural shelter for the Ancestral Pueblo people and today you can climb ladders into ancient dwellings, view petroglyphs, and see the remains of kivas, which were circular, subterranean structures used for religious and ceremonial purposes.
Tips for Visiting Bandelier National Monument
You are probably excited to get to Bandelier National Monument and start exploring these ancient cliff dwellings. But before you go, I have some tips for you:
Take Summer Shuttles
Bandelier may not get the crowds of Yellowstone or Glacier, but there are still measures in place to balance crowd control. During mid-May to mid-October, there is a mandatory shuttle from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily which picks up at the White Rock Visitor Center and brings you to the park. The shuttle runs every 30 minutes during the week and every 20 minutes on the weekend. The ride takes about 25 minutes and stops first at the Frey Trail/Juniper Campground.
I visited in August and we arrived at the White Rock Visitor Center just before 9:00 a.m. This worked out perfectly because there was no trouble finding parking (there is an overflow parking lot across the street) and we were two of only four people on the first shuttle out. By the time we were ready to leave, it was a fairly full bus that unloaded before we boarded for our return trip.
Get an Early Start
As I alluded to, as usual the early bird gets the worm. Or, gets to explore ancient cliff dwellings without waiting in long lines to climb ladders or crowd in with others. If you are visiting in the summer, getting an early start also helps you beat the heat.
While Bandelier National Monument has a high elevation, the sun can still be strong and that dry, high desert air might not be what you are used to. Beating the heat with an early start can help you enjoy your visit even more.
Don’t Follow Google Maps
Google Maps or Apple Maps might send you to an alternate section of the park. If you want to reach the main visitor center and the top attractions, follow these directions from the official website. Or, just set your GPS to the White Rock Visitor Center and take the shuttle (while in season.) The roads approaching the park are also pretty well signed.
Keep in mind that Bandelier National Monument is about one hour from Santa Fe and 20 minutes from Los Alamos.
Wear Good Footwear
While the Main Loop Trail (Pueblo Loop Trail) is only 1.4 miles on an easy, mostly flat, gravel or paved trail, if you want to climb into the cavates (small human-carved alcoves), you will need to climb wooden ladders which have been worn smooth and could be quite slippery if you are in sandals.
I’d also recommend closed-toe shoes given some of the wildlife that you might encounter such as tarantulas, lizards, snakes, etc.
Bring a Water Bottle (and a Backpack!)
Given the altitude and desert environment, you need to be thoughtful about staying hydrated. I’d suggest bringing a refillable water bottle as there are bottle refill stations at the visitor center. You can also find flushing restrooms at the Visitor Center and compost/pit toilets along the trails.
I’d also recommend bringing along a small backpack to store your belongings and water bottle. Since we were on a cross-country road trip, I didn’t have my typical hiking backpack and since we were first attempting the short loop trail, we just carried our water bottles and a small bag. This was fine until we went to climb the ladders!
Climbing steep, tall ladders while holding on to your water bottle is tricky. We finally realized we should just leave them at the bottom and retrieve them when we climbed back down. It would have been easier if I could have stored them in a backpack instead.
Protect Yourself from the Elements
If you are visiting in the summer, make sure to apply sunscreen and wear a hat. You may also want a light hiking layer for sun protection. At other times of the year, keep in mind that the temperature can vary greatly throughout the day and the elevation means it will be colder (and possibly snowier) than it is in Santa Fe.
Keep in mind that the park is open from dawn to dusk year-round, except on Christmas Day and during heavy snow.
Plan to Stay at Least Half a Day
The 1.4 mile Main Loop Trail will probably take you 45-minutes to an hour to explore because you will want to stop to read the interpretative signs, climb into the cavates, admire the petroglyphs, and soak in the history.
You will then need another 45 minutes or more to add on a visit to the Alcove House and return to the Visitor Center. If you have a full day to spend at Bandelier, you can also hike the Frey Trail through Frijoles Canyon. This trail branches off the Main Loop Trail, accessible from the Visitor Center, and ends at the Juniper Campground, where you can then hop on the shuttle back to the White Rock Visitor Center (in season.)
Enjoy Lunch at Bandelier
I would certainly suggest packing a few snacks to enjoy during your hike because climbing those ladders can be hard work! But if you are looking for lunch after a morning at Bandelier, Sirphey at Bandelier is a full service restaurant located near the park visitor center and gift shop. You can chow down on green chili cheeseburgers, fry bread, yak steaks, elk or local bison burgers, and more. They even claim to have the best drinking chocolate in North America but it was too warm for us to give it a try.
Keep in mind that Sirphey closes on a seasonal basis typically November-March.
Beware of Heights
I don’t really have a fear of heights. In fact, in my house I’m the one who needs to climb the ladders to clean gutters or wash windows. Going up the ladders at Bandelier National Monument felt like a piece of cake. Going down? A whole other story.
To visit the Alcove House, you need to climb 140 feet of four steep wooden ladders and stone stairs. Some of these ladders are quite tall and going back down them (especially while clutching a water bottle) was enough to have me gripping the handles for dear life and going down very, very slowly. I felt that climb in every muscle the next day.
If you have a fear of heights, I would recommend skipping the climb to the Alcove House and just viewing it from below.
Leave the Dog at Home
Pets are permitted in the parking lot of the Visitor Center and the campgrounds, but not on the trails. You don’t want to leave them in a hot car so I’d suggest leaving them at home (or at the hotel/campground.)
Take Advantage of Free Park Days or the America the Beautiful Pass
When we set out on our cross-country road trip, we were sure we would be able to take advantage of my daughter’s Annual America the Beautiful Pass, which gets you into all National Parks all year for only $80.00. She had already used it at the Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, and Arches National Park earlier in the summer. But our first stop was Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which we discovered was free to visit (but you have to pay to park). Then we got to Bandelier and little did we know, we were visiting on a free park day (check the calendar to find out when admission is free at National Parks.)
If you plan on visiting multiple National Parks within a year, the America the Beautiful Pass offers are great savings (and it is an easy way to support the Parks.)
Leave No Trace
When we visited, some of the cavates were closed because they had been damaged or vandalized and I found that heart-breaking. Here are dwellings that have existed for thousands of years and petroglyphs that depict early civilization and people draw graffiti on them? I can’t even understand that level of disrespect.
But remember, the principles of Leave No Trace go further than just not littering or vandalizing. It also means not going off trail and damaging fragile ecosystems and not removing anything from the park.
Top Things to do at Bandelier National Monument
If you have just one day to spend at Bandelier National Monument, here are the top sights that you don’t want to miss:
- Cultural demonstrations – check with the Park Rangers in the Visitor Center to see what may be taking place during your visit. Demonstrations are free and take place on the back patio of the Bandelier visitor center.
- Ranger programs – check to see what Ranger Programs are taking place during your visit. These include free guided walks, talks, and evening programs that cover how humans, wildlife, and vegetation have survived on the Pajarito Plateau.
- Visitor Center Museum – there is a small museum in the Visitor Center that provides more context of the history of the Ancestral Pueblo peoples and what life was like in the Pueblos and cliff dwellings.
- Pueblo Loop Trail – this easy, mostly accessible 1.4 mile loop trail is the perfect introduction to Bandelier National Monument and the Ancestral Pueblos. You can pick up a $3 trail guide at the Park Store to learn more about the sites along the trail through descriptions of 21 numbered stops, or you can scan a QR code to read more about each site (just keep in mind that cell service can be spotty in the park). This trail offers beautiful views and winds through archeological sites such as the Big Kiva communal meeting place, Tyuonyi (remains of a structure that used to have over 400 rooms for storing food), Talus House (which is a reconstruction of a house that would sit in front of a cavate), and Long House, where you can find petroglyphs. A main highlight of the trail is climbing into the cavates (where allowed). You can either loop back to the Visitor Center or take a side trail to visit the Alcove House.
- Alcove House – it is an additional one-mile to tack on the visit to the Alcove House but it is well worth the extra walk. This part of the trail is mostly shaded and crosses a couple of small bridges (note that Frijoles Canyon is prone to flash flooding so double check that these crossings are open before heading out.) As I mentioned above, getting into the Alcove House includes climbing a series of steep, tall ladders. I’m very glad that I did it because it was such a unique experience to stand in these ancient dwellings, but it is not for those with a fear of heights or ladders.
- Frey Trail – if you have a full day, you can take the Frey Trail in the afternoon from the Visitor Center to the Juniper Campground and then pick up the shuttle. Just keep in mind that hiking up from the canyon floor is strenuous and be prepared with plenty of water.
- Falls Trail – Alternatively, you could take the Falls Trail. This starts at the end of the Backpacker’s Parking Lot near the visitor center and descends 400 vertical feet in its 1.5 mile length to the Upper Falls. Just keep in mind that the falls may be dry in the summer (which is why we skipped it) and it isn’t cleared of snow or ice in the winter. There are also steep drop-offs along the trail and plank bridges across the creek.
Where to Stay Near Bandelier National Monument
If you aren’t camping in the park, you have the option of staying nearby in either the small town of White Rock or Los Alamos. However, if this is more of a day trip, you will probably prefer to stay in or near Santa Fe, which is about one hour from Bandelier National Monument. This lets you combine the charm and culture of historic Santa Fe with the outdoor adventure of Bandelier National Monument.
Since we wanted to visit both Santa Fe and Bandelier, and have some time to relax, we chose to stay at the Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder. This is a casino and resort property with a lovely pool area and restaurants on-site, only about 15 minutes from downtown Santa Fe.
Of course, there are plenty of wonderful hotels to choose from in downtown Santa Fe as well and the Inn of the Five Graces came highly recommended to me. We ate at their restaurant Pink Adobe and loved the courtyard setting and delicious food.
Visiting New Mexico? You may also be interested in…
- 24 Hours in Albuquerque
- Things to know before visiting White Sands National Park
- Beat the heat in Ruidoso, NM
- Things to do in Tucson, Arizona
- Things to do in Tombstone, Arizona
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Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Publisher of We3Travel. A former marketing executive and travel advisor, Tamara is an award-winning travel writer and recognized expert in family travel. Tamara is a member of SATW, NATJA, IFWTWA, and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, and serves on the Board of the Family Travel Association. She is also the publisher of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Vacation Mavens travel podcast.
