The best walks and hikes in Bandelier National Monument

Located 12 miles from the main section of Bandelier National Monument on State Highway 4, the Tsankawi section offers a 1.5-mile walk along a mesa, showcasing cavates, petroglyphs, and an Ancestral Pueblo village. The trail is sometimes narrow in places, requires some scrambling in addition to climbing several ~12 foot ladders, and is quite exposed to the elements so it should be avoided during thunderstorms and inclement weather. In winter, the path may be slippery and icy. Tsankawi also can be a little challenging to locate, in large part because it signs on Highway 4. From Santa Fe, turn from State Highway 502 to 4, finding Tsankawi less than 1/4 mile on the left. Coming from Bandelier, it's easier to locate, with the gravel parking lot on the right past the 3rd stoplight. Here is a link to a great virtual tour of the site by the NPS: nps.gov/band/learn/photosmultimedia/tt-vt-intro.htm

The Yapashi Ancestral Pueblo site's ruins are on the Pajarito Plateau in the Bandelier backcountry. Beyond the ancient ruins, runners can enjoy the panoramic views of the volcanic landscape formed by the ancient Valles Caldera eruption. These ruins were made by the Keres people in 1200–1500 CE. Some of the buildings were up to three stories tall and had hundreds of rooms.

The trail passes by large panels of petroglyphs (carved pictures), that are thought to be hundreds of years old. Although their exact meaning is unknown, they are most likely not a type of written language, but rather held deep spiritual and artistic significance to ancient (and modern) indigenous people. There are many petroglyphs in this area, so be sure to take your time to try to find all of them - many of them blend in with their surroundings! Like in most archeological sites, please do not touch these ancient carvings.

The cavetes are located just below the ancient central village plaza in the cliff bands that make up the mesa. These cavates (human excavated cavities) were places where people could take shelter from the elements; the thick stone walls provided insulation from both the cold of winter and heat of summer. Talus pueblos were also most-likely constructed in front of the entrance to the cavates to further protect people from wind, rain, snow, and perhaps most importantly in the desert, heat. Please only enter cavetes that are immediately adjacent to the trail - the other cavets are dangerous to access.

This spot is near where the center ancient Tsankawi Village once stood. From here you get fantastic views out over the mesa of Jémez Mountains to the west, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Española Valley to the east, and about 70 miles south you can see the Sandia Mountains, near Albuquerque. In addition to the natural high ground that the mesa afforded the Indigenous people and caves that dot the cliffsides, there used to be tall defensive walls to protect this central plaza. You can see the remains of these walls and other structures as well as pottery shards. Collecting these important historical artifacts is illegal and even moving them from one spot to another in the village can disrupt our understanding of the area. As you leave this area you get to walk on ancient pathways carved into the rock itself. There are some ancient small stone steps carved in the cliffs, but please stick to the ladders rather than climb the steps.

Located 12 miles from the main section of Bandelier National Monument on State Highway 4, the Tsankawi section offers a 1.5-mile walk along a mesa, showcasing cavates, petroglyphs, and an Ancestral Pueblo village. The trail is sometimes narrow in places, requires some scrambling in addition to climbing several ~12 foot ladders, and is quite exposed to the elements so it should be avoided during thunderstorms and inclement weather. In winter, the path may be slippery and icy. Tsankawi also can be a little challenging to locate, in large part because it signs on Highway 4. From Santa Fe, turn from State Highway 502 to 4, finding Tsankawi less than 1/4 mile on the left. Coming from Bandelier, it's easier to locate, with the gravel parking lot on the right past the 3rd stoplight. Here is a link to a great virtual tour of the site by the NPS: https://www.nps.gov/band/learn/photosmultimedia/tt-vt-intro.htm

Ponderosa Group Campground has vault toilets and water spigots and is just off of New Mexico Highway 4. The campsites can hold 10–50 people, and there is access to the Frijoles Canyon Shuttle running from mid-May to mid-October. This campground was affected by the Las Conchas Fire back in 2011, and today it is repaired and running well.

Upper Frijoles Crossing is where the Ponderosa, Frijoles Rim, Frijoles, and Apache Springs Trails all intersect. This spot also has fantastic views down the lush canyon and is a great place to pause and take some photos and sip some water because it can get hot out there!