Hiking in Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier National Monument

A visit to central New Mexico wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Bandelier National Monument.

The monument is about 85 miles northeast of the RV Park we were staying at in Rio Rancho. We took the scenic route, driving north on HWY 550 to HWY 4 and through the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

After turning onto Entrance Road off NM Hwy 4, we stopped at the booth to pay our fee and ask about parking. The lots were open, and we were told to continue along the road to the Visitor’s Center. We arrived at the park entrance a little before 10:00 AM and paid the $20.00* per vehicle entrance fee.

We visited Bandelier on a sunny day in early April, arriving mid-morning. During the ‘busy season’: May 14 – October 14, a shuttle service runs from the Frey Trail Parking Lot to the Bandelier Visitors Center, off Entrance Road.

Entrance Road to the Visitors Center narrowed, becoming steep and winding, with a canyon wall on the right side and a drop into the canyon on the left.

A little under two miles from the booth, we turned right into the Frijoles Canyon Overlook. The overlook has a small parking lot and a short trail to some amazing views of the canyon.

After leaving the overlook, we drove a little over a mile on the curvy road to the visitors center. After parking in front of the center, we went inside for more information about the monument.

The Visitor Center houses a free museum with exhibits depicting the life of the early inhabitants. There are also restrooms and maps of the trails. At the suggestion of the rangers, we purchased a Main Loop Trail Guide for $2.00.

The trail begins at the Visitor Center and heads directly into the canyon. In the above picture, you see the Pajarito Plateau towering above the canyon and the Visitor Center.

The trail runs alongside Frijoles Creek. When we spotted this footbridge to the Nature Trail, we took a quick detour to take a closer look.

Back on the trail, we stopped at Big Kiva. This 40-foot-wide kiva is the largest we have seen in our New Mexico explorations. Kivas were at the center of the original inhabitants’ community.

The trail continues through the Tyuonyi village. At one time, this large pueblo contained about 400 rooms and housed approximately 100 people. Within the walls of the village are three smaller kivas. Only one has been excavated and stabilized.

At this point, the trail turns towards the cliffs and the cliff dwellings. The trail is well-marked and very scenic. The view along the trail includes volcanic tuffs.

As we approached the cave rooms, we were reminded to stay on the trail and enter only caves that had ladders. We continued along the trail and soon came to the first cave room or cavate, with a ladder.

Even this early in the spring, lines were forming to climb the ladders. The cavate was small and only a few people could go in at a time. We decided it was worth the wait.

Back on the trail, we stopped at a reconstruction of a cliff dwelling. The interior picture was taken from the front window. Entry to the house would have been through the roof.

Walking along this portion of the trail, you see an overview of Frijoles Canyon and Tyuonyi village. As we walked through the village, we found it was difficult to comprehend the size and layout. Here is a comparison of it to the artist’s rendition in the guide.

There are many openings in the volcanic tuff along this part of the trail. We don’t know if this face was carved by man or nature

We were soon approaching one of the most popular stops along this trail, Cave Kiva. As we got closer, we could see a lot of people inside.

The cave has been reconstructed to resemble how it would have appeared when it was inhabited. There are beams in the ceiling that are reconstructions of loom supports.

Cave Kiva must be re-plastered and smoked regularly to remove the graffiti added by visitors. It is such a shame people feel the need to deface historic national monuments.

After leaving the cave, we continued along the trail towards the Long House section.

Long House is the section of the cliff where the people built three and four-story homes along the cliff base. The number of stories can be determined by counting the rows of holes in the cliff face.

After passing the Long House, the trail turns away from the cliffs, crosses Frijole Creek, and ends at the Nature Trail.

If you turn left at the Nature Trail, you will go back towards the Visitor Center. If you turn right, you’ll walk a wooded half-mile trail to Alcove House. Alcove House is 140 feet above the canyon floor and is reached by climbing four ladders and walking along narrow cliff trails.

It was nice to be in the shady woods. Through the trees, we could still see the canyon walls. We also saw many trees that had fallen from the creek flooding. It was a warm day, and hikers cooled off in the creek. Look closely and you’ll see a baby splashing in the water.

Beyond the creek, we reached the first of the four ladders. After agreeing that we really wanted to do this, we started the climb. After reaching the top of the first ladder, we walked along the trail up the cliffside to the second ladder. The second ladder has a few more rungs than the first. At the top is a landing where hikers wait to ascend the third ladder.

While waiting our turn to climb the third ladder, we watched our fellow hikers climb up the second. After a few minutes, it was our turn to climb to the next level.

The ladder to the third level goes straight up the side of the rock wall. After reaching the landing, we looked down at the landing between the second and third ladders. Be aware that there are no rails at the third landing.

Before climbing the fourth and final ladder into the Alcove House, we paused to take in the amazing view.

The feature photo for this post was taken in the Alcove House. Located 140 feet above the floor of Frijoles Canyon, it was once the home of the ancestral Pueblo people.

It contains niches of original residents’ homes, along with a restored kiva. The majority of the kiva is underground and is not open to the public. From the back of the kiva, the ancestral people could keep watch over the mountain.

After exploring the kiva and enjoying the fantastic view, it was time to start our descent. There were more people on the trail, and the wait times for the ladders had increased. However, it was a beautiful day and we weren’t in a hurry.

After descending the ladders, we walked the Nature Trail back to the Visitor Center. The cliffs were once again visible from the trail.

If you are planning a trip to New Mexico, we highly recommend you put Bandelier National Monument on your must-see list.

You can see more Bandelier photos here.

*The entrance fee is subject to change and may be different when you visit

Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance copywriter specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas. Visit his portfolio here.

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