A Mini Guide To Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico

📍Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos, NM

Bandelier National Monument, established in 1916, protects a diverse landscape and significant Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites, including cliff dwellings and petroglyphs, in the Pajarito Plateau near Los Alamos, New Mexico. The cliff dwellings and petroglyphs are 1,500-5,000 years old, and were home to ancestral Pueblo people. There are also signs of human presence dating back 11,000 years!

There are 70 miles of trails, ranging from easy footpaths to more challenging trails. The elevation ranges from 5340 ft at the Rio Grande to 10199 ft at the summit of Cerro Grande, creating a unique diversity of habitats. You can go camping.

If you have limited time, the main things you’ll want to see are the Visitor’s Center, and the Pueblo Loop Trail behind it. The trail is a 1.4 mile loop and takes you by the “cavates”, small human-carved alcoves, that you can climb into using ladders. It also takes you past the Long House and other notable cliff dwellings.

🗺️To get there from Albuquerque take Jemez Scenic Byway north to Bandelier National Monument. Besides the Pueblo Cliff dwellings there are also miles of trails.
🚙40 miles from Santa Fe NM
🚗85 miles from Albuquerque NM

🐶Dogs are NOT allowed other than in the parking lots.

Entrance is normally $25/vehicle. The following days in 2025 are FREE ADMISSION days:

📅 January 20 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 
📅 April 19 – First Day of National Park Week 
📅 June 19 – Juneteenth National Independence Day 
📅 August 4 – Great American Outdoors Act Signing Day 
📅 September 27 – National Public Lands Day 
📅 November 11 – Veterans Day

⚠️Check the NPS website before visiting to get updates on what areas are closed for construction. For example in March 2025, at the time of this writing, the Alcove is closed for flood debris removal. Also, sometimes they have interesting programs and cultural demonstrations that you might want to schedule your visit around.

👀And don’t miss Soda Dam on the way (if going via Jemez scenic byway). It’s a calcium and travertine formation caused by hot springs.