Bandelier

 

At the risk of sounding repetitive one thing that I love about hiking in New Mexico is that usually there is a historical aspect that’s part of it. In the past I have written about Coronado, and of course anything about the Petroglyphs transports you back in time before the U.S. was even a country. But after talking about those hikes to other people I was told I had to check out the Bandelier National Monument. After dealing with wildfires, and the heat of the summer finally the time to do it presented itself, and I was glad I went. 

For starters the drive was beautiful and reminded me so much of driving through the Colorado mountains with the winding roads, and beautiful scenery. Once I arrived, I was shocked at how big this place was, and how much there was to do there. The first objective was the hike of course so behind the visitor’s center was the trail head to I began my adventure. It is always fascinating to see ancient ruins on hikes here, like walking by Kiva’s that were used hundreds of years ago and are still so well preserved. But the main objective of this hike was to see the cliff dwellings. 

After going up a well-paved path you are finally in the cliff dwellings and to my surprise you are allowed to go into some of them. It was so surprising that you can sit in one of these, and once in them it is an awe moment for multiple reasons. For starters, how small these dwellings are but how well constructed they are that they are still around today. The other surprising aspect is when you sit in one and look out at the scenery around you it becomes a total escape from reality. You are simply just sitting on a cliff looking out into the mountains that surround you and nothing else matters. After this there are other trails guests can go on to make the hike as long and strenuous as they choose. Of course, there is also the regular loop that will take guests back to the visitor’s center. 

But Bandelier is way more than a great hiking destination, it also includes so much around the area. Attached to the visitor’s center is a small museum dedicated to the area capped off with a massive scale model of the area. In addition, there is a café serving up great burgers and sandwiches that feature Native American Ingredients. I had the elk burger, and it was very tasty, but their menu had lots of unique offerings. This was a well-put together park that offers something for everybody. 

After what was a long and adventurous day it was time to get back to reality. I would love to go back up at some point and explore more because I am sure that I missed several things. Of course, it is not the closest drive to get to, and the weather can make it a challenge so timing will be key. But it was a great day and should be on your New Mexico bucket list. Great scenery, fresh air, history, and what could be a strenuous hike is a great day for me. I hope I keep finding places like this because they are quickly becoming my favorite hikes in New Mexico. 

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