"Spent the day at Bandelier National Monument."

That quote comes from the log of our May 17 to May 24, 2004 trip to New Mexico. No, I didn't keep a log of the entire trip. As a matter of fact, the May 19th entry (from which that quote comes), was the last one I made. Writing isn't one of my strong points.

Located on the Pajarito Plateau in Northern New Mexico's canyon and mesa country about 50 or so miles Northwest of Santa Fe, Bandelier is both an archeological, and wilderness preserve. Within it's almost 33,000 acres (over 23,000 of which is designated wilderness), you'll find 70 or so miles of hiking trails, elevations ranging from a little over 1 mile (5300 feet) to almost 2 miles (over 9000 feet). Habitats range from riparian environments along canyon watercourses, to high altitude grasslands (believe the term is montane).

Critters that call the place home include: snakes, lizards, scorpions, squirrels, deer, mountain lion, elk, bear, etc.... Unfortunately, we didn't get to see them because when we were there in mid-morning to late afternoon, is not exactly the best time for critter watching.

As I said, Bandelier is both an archeological, and wilderness preserve.

Somewhere between 1 and 2 million years ago, two volcanic eruptions sent over 150 cubic miles of material into the air. The ash fallout from each of those eruptions was 600 times what came out of the 1980 St. Helens blow and covered the countryside for miles (1000 feet thick in some places). Over time, the ash hardened into a sandstone-like rock called tuff. Tuff is relatively soft and weathering forces are able to carve out small holes and caves in it fairly easily. The rock's softness also means it can be easily (but not too easily) worked with stone tools.

The earliest evidence for permanent human settlements in the Bandelier area dates from somewhere between 1100 and 1200 AD. People came into the part of the monument known today as Frijoles Canyon and found permanent water in the Frijoles River or Creek, depending on your point of view. There is plenty of wood for heating and cooking fires, good hunting for meat, lots of flat areas that could be cleared for farming corn, squash, beans, etc..., and cliffs full of small caves that could be easily enlarged to form living spaces. They could even use the waste material from the enlarging to make bricks, which could then be used to make those living spaces even larger. That being the case, they decided to set up housekeeping.

Four hundred years of intense farming, hunting, and tree cutting took its toll and by the time the Spanish arrived, the village (now called Tyuonyi) was abandoned.

Eventually, the land recovered and the wildlife returned.

Established as a National Monument in 1916, Bandelier is a great place in which to spend some time.

To get there from Santa Fe, take US 285/84 North to Pojoaque, then West on New Mexico 502 to New Mexico 4 South. New Mexico 4 South (from 502) takes you to the monument's entrance. The entrance fee, at the time we were there, was $10.00 per vehicle and the visitor's center hours vary with the season. Closing time when we were there was 5PM (visitor's center). I don't know what time it opened. There's also a gift shop, snack bar (burger's, fries, etc...), and when we were there, two very well fed squirrels.

Light levels were fairly high, and like many other such places, wandering around the place safely requires some common sense. Bring plenty of water, a hat, sunblock, respect for the critters who live there and the environment, etc....

Overnights in the backcountry require a permit which is obtainable at the visitor's center, two days before. The length of stay in any one campsite and group size is limited.

Like other National Monuments, Bandelier is administered by the NPS. Some contacts for additional information are as follows.

Superintendent
Bandelier National Monument
HCR 1, Box 1, Suite 15
Los Alamos NM 87544-9701
Tel 505-672-3861 ext. 517 (Vis. Cntr.)

Southwest Parks and Monuments Association
Bandelier National Monument
HCR 1, Box 1, Suite 2
Los Alamos NM 87544
Tel 505-672-3861 ext. 515
Website = www.spma.org

Another site you can try is: www.americansouthwest.net/new_mexico/bandelier/national_monument.html

There is also the National Park Service's sites: www.nps.gov and/or www.nps.gov/band/

If you prefer inner-spring mattresses and modern plumbing to sleeping bags and holes in the ground, Santa Fe has a number of places, and the 50 or so mile drive between there and the monument doesn't take a whole lot of time to do. If you prefer something closer, the community of White Rock (on SR4 just North of the entrance) has a big Hampton Inn. I Can't tell you much about it, but there were plenty of cars in the parking lot.

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