Hike the Main Loop Trail at Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument encompasses over 33,000 acres of public land, including Frijoles Canyon, the home of the Ancestral Puebloans that once lived in the area. The park has miles of trails to explore the rugged countryside, but the main attractions are the cliff dwellings you'll find on the Main Loop Trail. This easy 1.2 mile hike along paved surfaces will take visitors to the archaeological sites for which the park is so famous.

You'll start at the Visitor Center which has a small museum that will tell you the history of the area, the Puebloans that once lived here, and the tribes that now live near Los Alamos. If you want to learn more, pick up a $1 trail guide at the Visitor Center which will educate you through a series of 21 stops on the trail.

The trail is mostly on paved or compacted surfaces and the first stop you will encounter will be the ruins of the Tyuonyi (chew-OHN-yee) pueblo. One to two stories high, Tyuonyi contained about four hundred rooms and housed approximately 100 people. A central plaza contained three kivas.

Past Tyuonyi, bear right at the intersection to continue towards the cliff dwelling of the Talus House. Narrow, steep stone stairs will take you up to the cliff walls, so watch your step during wet or icy conditions. Here you can explore the ruins and cavates (small human-carved alcoves) by climbing wooden ladders put in place by the Parks Service. This is also a good spot to turn around a get a good view of the pueblo ruins below, from this vantage point you can get a better idea of just how big the pueblo was back in the day.

Once leaving the Talus House, continue on the trail to head towards the Long House. Keep your eyes peeled for deer or the distinctively tufted Albert's squirrel as they can often be found not far from the trail. The animals may seem friendly and unafraid of humans, but please refrain from feeding the wildlife.

The Long House sits at the bottom of a sheer vertical cliff face and here you can see remnants of the adobe structures that the Puebloans built. Here the structures were several stories tall as evidenced by the holes and petroglyphs carved high up the wall.

Past the Long House, you will cross Frijoles Creek and can either continue to the right for 0.5 miles further to the Alcove House or turn left to complete the loop and return to the Visitor Center. The return section to the Visitor Center follows the creek the entire way and winds its way through the forest. Interpretive signs line the path and educate visitors about the ecology of the area.

As always, please stay on the trail and do not climb on the archaeological sites. Only cavates that have ladders in front of them are allowed to be explored. After your hike, stop at the Snack Bar for a bite to head, or drive over to Los Alamos and stop at Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op for a beer.