Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico - August 14th, 2023

Bandelier National Monument is a great combination of stunning landscapes and Ancestral Pueblo People history. We only spent one day there, but we could have easily spent several days there.

Monday we drove over to Bandelier National Monument. It is located northwest of Santa Fe, close to an hour from where we were camped in Hyde Memorial State Park. During the summer months, a shuttle bus ride is required to reach the trails and attractions in the Frijoles Canyon part of the park, the most popular area. The shuttle runs from 9 am to 3 pm. Before 9 am and after 3 pm, you can drive your own vehicle into Frijoles Canyon.

On the way out of Hyde Memorial State Park, we dumped our tanks. When we tried to put the toilet chemicals in, we realized the gorilla tape did not seal the hole in the bottle. So as soon as we tilted the bottle back upright, it leaked again. The hole was right on a corner of the bottle, so it was hard to get the tape flat to seal it. And the plastic bag we stored the bottle in was not leak proof, so we had another little mess to clean up. We put the bottle in a zipped lock bag, but the bag was too narrow to have the opening at the top when we lay the bottle on its side, to keep the hole at the top. So we’re not sure how much it will help, other than it should contain the spill when we tilt the bottle upright again.

Since we didn’t have cell service in the campground, Ann was going off of her memory on where to catch the shuttle bus. She thought it was the visitor center in Los Alamos. When we got there, we realized it was the wrong visitor center. The one in Los Alamos is for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The one we wanted was the White Rock Visitor Center in White Rock. That meant we went about 15 minutes out of our way. All was not lost, it was a pretty drive in and out of Los Alamos.

The White Rock Visitor Center was nice. There was an RV Park in the parking lot, with electrical hookups, for a fee of $20 per night. More importantly for us, there was a free dump and potable water fill. We can fill our fresh water tank, yay! Both the RV Park and the White Rock Visitor Center are run by Los Alamos County.

There was also a great cell signal, both AT&T and Verizon. So Ann set up her laptop and started a video upload. It was done well before we got back from Frijoles Canyon.

Even after filling our fresh tank, we were still able to catch the 11:30 am shuttle. There is a shuttle every half an hour and the ride to Frijoles Canyon takes about 20 to 25 minutes. The last shuttle you can take into Frijoles Canyon leaves White Rock at 3 pm, but the last shuttle leaving Frijoles Canyon is 5 pm. That made us feel better. That meant we had two more hours to explore Frijoles Canyon than we originally thought.

The Bandelier Visitor Center in Frijoles Canyon is very picturesque. It is in an adobe lodge that was built in the mid-1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The lodge now houses all the important things like restrooms, drinking fountains, gift shop, cafe, museum, and park office. It also looks like it has living quarters for park staff.

Since it was almost noon by the time we arrived, instead of going through the park office to the trailhead, we strolled over to the cafe for lunch. There were signs indicating the Doug Burger was the best burger in New Mexico. Of course, we had to try it out for ourselves. We didn’t even look to see what else was on the menu. However, as we sat at a table outside in the little courtyard, we noticed that the samosas looked to be a popular item as well, especially with park staff.

We haven’t had many burgers in New Mexico, but the Doug Burger definitely gets our vote. Ann ordered hers with elk while Keith had the beef. They were both very tasty. The elk is a leaner meat than the beef, so it was a little dryer. Keith felt that the beef was more flavorful. We don’t know what all was on top of the burgers. One item on top was a huge deep fried pepper, breaded and filled with cheese. We’re guessing it was an Anaheim or Poblano pepper. Then there were also chopped green chiles and grilled onions along with more cheese. A lovely little side salad accompanied the burger. A very filling and fulfilling meal. Ann had a mango lemonade to wash it all down with. The drink was very enjoyable as well.

After stuffing our bellies, we decided we better walk off some of those calories. After showing our park pass to get through the park office, we started down the Pueblo Loop Trail. The area was occupied by the Ancestral Pueblo People from about 1150 to 1550 CE. The erosion of the volcanic ash rock in the area created an interesting maze of Swiss cheese. The people created rooms inside many of the alcoves along with exterior adobe structures. Petroglyphs were etched into the canyon walls above the structures.

The trail goes past the remains of a pueblo then climbs up alongside the canyon cliffs to more ruins. Several ladders allow you to go into some of the alcoves. Not much of the plaster walls remain, but one remaining decorated one is protected behind a sheet of plexiglass.

At the far end of the loop, we opted to continue down the trail to the Alcove House. After about a half mile stroll through the woods, we came to the series of ladders that lead up to the Alcove House. It was 140 feet up to the Alcove. It is not a climb for those who are afraid of heights. We encountered a couple of people who turned around after the first ladder. Inside the alcove is a kiva, but the park currently doesn’t let you go down inside the kiva.

After our hike, we watched the park movie back at the Bandelier Visitor Center. It probably would have been better to watch it first, but we thought more rain was in the forecast for the afternoon. The weather actually turned out to be the other way around. It was cloudy when we arrived which then turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Before catching the shuttle bus back, we returned to the cafe for an iced chai latte. We have had plenty of chai lattes, but never an iced one before. It was rather refreshing. Although it was not what we would call a thirst quencher.

Bandelier is definitely on our list to revisit. There is more we want to explore, not only in Bandelier National Monument, but also in the surrounding area, such as the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

Check out our related video: Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

(Ann)