Bandelier National Monument

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Forest is beautiful. The trails and monuments are well maintained and worth the stop. Only issue was that the park only offers a 7 day pass @$25, which is a bit steep if you only want to visit for the day.

This was such an interesting location that I loved hiking at. I really enjoyed being able to go in some of the hand carved caves. It made the experience 10 times better. We seen a bunch of wild life including mule deer🦌 , squirrels 🐿 , and even a bear cub 🐻. The only part I was disappointed about was we didn’t get to go to the highest cave at the end because it was closed but it just gives us an excuse to come back another time.

To say that Bandelier National Monument is a necessary stop on any road trip would be an understatement. The ancient history just flows through the valley along the walls of these structures. There are plenty of fun little ladders to climb up for kids and families to enjoy and, if you choose to challenge yourself, there's even a chance to ascend 140 feet of ladders to reach the Alcove House further on in the trail. Also, plenty of little lizards running around and we even crossed paths with an awesome bull snake on the way back to our car. Amazingly well-maintained across the board and should serve as an example for how most other national parks should operate.

The energy of the land and dwellings is intense. You can feel the history. My mind is constantly flooded with visions and scenes of the past. The park will well maintained and clean. I encountered two staff members. The first greeter was less than welcoming and unhelpful. The second was amazing, he took time to share is knowledge about the park. Overall a great experience and I would recommend adding Bandelier to your list of must sees in New Mexico.

We arrived just after 7 am on Sunday and NO ONE was there!! It was a perfect sunny and 60 degrees. When we left at 9:30, the main parking lot was full. It took us about an hour from Santa Fe, an easy drive. The trip was totally worth it. I am little afraid of height but decided to clime up to Alcove House and it was totally worth it. The trail was easy but clime up the stairs and ladders are not easy if not physically used to it. Don’t use the hours of operation shown on Google map because it says the park opens at 9am. The actual hours of operation is dawn to dusk! I think Google uses Visitor Center hours. Get there early to avoid the crowd!!!

What a great fun stop during our New Mexico road trip! This provides a nice scenic route to get to the park and then has some very cool short, easy hikes to the old dwellings. If you want to get adventurous you also climb into the caves.

Maybe one of the best camping facilities we have ever used over the last 10 years. Clean, quiet, private sites were numerous at 2 pm arrival mid-week in August (first come-first serve). While there was no water available for each camping site, it was available at multiple places throughout the grounds. Excellent paved sites that were spaced far enough apart to allow for privacy. Waste-water dump facility was extremely clean. We highly recommend camping here.

It was a great time and an adventure. The ladder climbing is legit and somewhat scary but fun as all.