Best known for mesas, sheer-walled canyons and several thousand ancestral Pueblo dwellings found among them, Bandelier National Monument spans over 32,000 acres of tan cliffs, forested mesas and deep gorges, of which more than 23,000 acres are designated wilderness with 70 miles of backcountry trails. The best-known archeological sites, in Frijoles Canyon near the Visitor Center, were inhabited from the 1100′s into the mid-1500′s and earlier groups had used the area for thousands of years. Ruins of 13th-century cliff houses and pueblo-style dwellings dot the rugged, canyon-slashed slopes and bottoms of the Pajarito Plateau. The terrain is challenging and the scenery spectacular, with elevations ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 feet and lush, narrow canyons that alternate with sweeping mesa-top vistas.
Several Native American groups settled on the canyon-slashed slopes of the Pajarito Plateau in a striking setting characterized by tan cliffs, forested mesas and deep gorges. The story of these people their adaptation to their environment and their relationships with other groups is gradually being brought to light through continuing research by archaeologists, adding to our knowledge of prehistoric Southwestern cultures.
The Pajarito Plateau is interesting geologically as well as archaeologically. It is constituted largely of tuff (consolidated volcanic ash) and basaltic lava ejected thousands of years ago by a great volcano. The caldera (saucer-shaped depression) created by the collapsed summit of the volcano is among the world’s largest calderas; its rim forms the Jemez Mountains. Through this highland, running water has cut many steep-walled canyons down to the Rio Grande.
Bandelier National Monument was named for Adolph Bandelier, a 19th-century anthropologist and proclaimed on February 11, 1916.
History & Culture
Located in north central New Mexico, Bandelier National Monument encompasses an array of archeological, historic and natural features. Its main attraction, Frijoles Canyon, contains ruins that include the community house called Tyuonyi and Ceremonial Cave. The canyon is a popular destination among American travelers, but it is not the only significant feature contained in the monument. In 1986, the monument included a designated wilderness area of 23,267 acres among the over 32,000 acre total area. At the turn of the century, the area that became Bandelier National Monument was of interest to preservationist constituencies. The region became the focus of attempts to establish a national park in New Mexico. Archaeologists saw the value of the region, as did local commercial interests, but the different groups were not able to reconcile the points of contention between them. Because the El Rito de los Frijoles was on its lands, the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) advocated the establishment of Bandelier National Monument as a way to circumvent efforts to establish a national park. Its maneuver succeeded and the USFS administered Bandelier from 1916 to 1932.
Throughout the 1920′s, however, the National Park Service lobbied for a national park in the region. Its primary effort failed as a result of resistance offered by Frank Pinkley, the superintendent of the southwestern national monuments group of the agency. He opposed the archeological national park on the grounds that the area did not fit the standards the Park Service established earlier in the 1920′s and that the concept of an archeological national park violated the Antiquities Act of 1906. Pinkley’s opposition led the agency to rethink its position. In 1932, the Park Service acquired Bandelier National Monument.
Since the 1930′s, there have been a number of efforts to establish a national park in the region. The 100,000 acre Baca Location # 1, the Valle Grande, north and west of Frijoles Canyon, became critical to the conception of a park as the agency emphasized the geological attributes of the region instead of its archeology. In the early 1960′s, the commitment of the agency to the concept of a park area with both natural and cultural values became evident when it transferred archeological ruins to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in exchange for the pristine Upper Frijoles Canyon area. Yet national park efforts failed to succeed and in 1986, the Bandelier National Monument comprised the extent of agency holdings in the region.
Through the mid-1980′s, development at Bandelier followed a “boom-bust” cycle. after the Park Service took over the monument, it embarked upon a program to create administrative and visitor facilities in Frijoles Canyon. A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp facilitated the development of the park and between 1933 and 1940, its workers built the entire Frijoles Canyon headquarters area. Between 1940 and the early 1960′s, park administrators retrenched in the face of changing patterns of visitor use. With the implementation of the Mission 66 program for Bandelier in 1963, the agency again initiated development programs, culminating in a master plan that laid the basis for increased use of the back country. The public adversely responded to the proposal, advocating the establishment of a designated wilderness area as an alternative. In the end, the agency went along with its constituency. Although the master plan continued to advocate development at the southern tip of the monument, a designated wilderness area was established at the site in 1976.
Until the 1970′s, issues of resource management at Bandelier focused on its prehistoric assets. But the pressure of increased visitation and the establishment of the wilderness area caused the staff at the park to manage its resources as part of an integrated whole. A resource management unit, with responsibility for all the resources of the monument, was the result.
The 1980′s saw a number of threats to the integrity of the park. The Department of Energy, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and Public Service Company of New Mexico were all among the groups whose proposals threatened the monument. Although by 1987, the Park Service had successfully resisted many threats, problems on the Pajarito Plateau seemed likely to escalate. Limited by its location and the minute size of its primary feature, Bandelier served as a microcosm of the external threats facing the park system. The survival of its resources will require continued vigilance on the part of the agency.
Attractions
Bandelier Wilderness
A vast region of steep canyons, high forested mesas, lush riparian vegetation and many ancient cliff and cave dwellings.
Tyuonyi Ruins Area
In this area are a multitude of ancient pueblo, cave and cliff dwellings along the canyon of Frijoles Creek.
White Rock Canyon
White Rock Canyon is a deep canyon where the waterfall-studded Frijoles Creek meets with the renowned Rio Grande.
Recreation
For most visitors to Bandelier National Monument, the first activity is walking the Main Loop Trail, which starts at the Visitor Center and leads through excavated archeological sites. Other trails vary from short and easy to long and strenuous and invite day hikes, backpacking, birdwatching and just general enjoyment of beautiful surroundings. No pets or bicycles permitted on trails. Regularly scheduled guided walks and interpretive talks in summer months and other times as staffing permits. Self-guided trails year round. Evening programs and crafts demonstrations in summer.
The popular Nightwalk, a 1-hour silent walk in the darkness through the archeological sites behind the Visitor Center, is offered weekly between Memorial Day and Labor Day and usually twice between Christmas and New Year’s. Contact the Visitor Center for reservations & details.
Getting There
bandelier national monument
From Interstate 25
Take the St Francis exit in Santa Fe to 84/285 West. Follow signs to Bandelier at each major junction.
Traveler Facts
Contact Information
Bandelier National Monument
HCR 1, Box 1, Suite 15
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Phone: 505-672-3861 x517 (Visitor Center daytime)
Phone: 505-672-0343 (Visitor Information recorded)
Phone: 505-672-3861 x534 (Group Reservations)
Fax: 505-672-9607Operating Hours & Seasons
Bandelier National Monument is open year-round.
Permits
Free backcountry camping permits are required for all overnight hikes. May be obtained at the visitor center, along with maps, backcountry regulations, camping restrictions and water availability. Call 505-672-3861 for further information.
Visitors Center
The visitor center in Frijoles Canyon offers exhibits on prehistoric and historic Pueblo cultures, trail guides, videos and a bookstore in addition to providing comprehensive information to park visitors. Call 505-672-3861 for further information.
Programs
There are regularly-scheduled guided walks, evening programs and interpretive talks during summer months. Self-guided interpretive trails are open year-round. There are craft-making demonstrations by local American Indians on weekends throughout the summer months.
Weather/Climate
Warm and dry with rain in early summer months. Chance of snow storms from October through May. Wear comfortable sportswear-type clothing in season with sturdy walking shoes. The elevation in Frijoles Canyon is 6,000 feet and can cause breathing difficulties for some people visiting from lower elevations.
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