Nature and Archaeology near Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico
Feb 15th, 2016, 08:24 PM
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Nature and Archaeology near Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico
Last spring break, we visited New Mexico to explore its many attractions, one of which is its amazing rock structures.
Between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, is a National Monument called Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. Entrance fee is $5 - free if you have an annual National Parks pass. The Canyon trail took us into beautiful slot canyons made of white volcanic tuff formed from volcanic ash of the nearby super volcano. Over time the volcanic tuff was shaped into cones, like tents. It is quite a strenuous hike, with some rock scrambling and quick elevation changes. Our youngest, who was 3 1/2 at the time did the hike with some help. The almost 4 mile trail is definitely worth the view, to and from the top. Hold on tight to your kids as there are big drops.
Another park we visited is Bandelier National Park. Entrance fee $12, free with an annual National Parks pass. There are 2 main areas: the Main loop and Tsankawi Trail. The main loop is a 1.2 mile loop that is paved with side trips into cave dwellings. Side trips require ladder climbing to look inside the cave dwelling but you can easily skip this and still complete the loop. This short hike also includes an excavated area of an ancient pueblo round house and a kiva. (A kiva is a circular chamber, usually partially underground, used for ceremonies by the Pueblo people). It is always interesting to see how people of different cultures live. This hike also boasts amazing views of petroglyphs and amazing hoodoo like rock structures made of volcanic tuff. Along this trail, there is a side trip. Alcove House trail, requires 140ft of climbing tall ladders, not recommended for those with fear of heights, dizziness or low physical fitness. There are nice views along the way.
A little ways down the road (12 miles) there is another trail called the Tsankawi Trail. Stop by the visitor center to get a map and directions to the Tsankawi Trail as there was no signage along the road. There is a short ladder climb at the very beginning of the hike. It can be a loop trail but requires being able to climb 2 ladders. One ladder is 12 feet tall, the other slightly shorter. If you can't climb the tall ladder, you can still do the trail, you'll just have to go back the same way you came, but you will have to climb the short ladder at the beginning. At the top of the mesa, near the middle of the loop, there is an ancient round house, though unexcavated. Look around for ancient broken pottery along trail near this area. If you look carefully, you can see the remains of the roundhouse encircling you. The second part of this trail took us on narrow ancient foot paths carved into the white volcanic tuff that makes up the cliff. As we enjoyed these amazing views, we imagined Native Americans making their daily commute from the fields below on these very paths over 800 years ago. Along these ancient footpaths are petroglyphs and alcoves dug into volcanic tuff used for dwelling.
Not too far from Santa Fe is Valle Caldera, a National Monument, soon to be National Park. Valle Caldera is an ancient volcano that has a crater 12 miles in diameter. Valle Grande hike is a free hike we did, that is 2 miles round trip, which took us down the crater wall, but stops just as we got into the crater. The visitor center is located near the center of crater, whose road is only accessible when visitor center is open. Hours change frequently so check the website for updated information. Near the center of the crater, near the visitor center is a small hill called Redondo Peak. It was formed when magma pushed up the surface. The crater itself is a grassland, with the tree line starting at the base of the crater wall, going up the crater wall. Pretty cool when you realize that this seemingly unremarkable meadow is really the inside of a crater filled with enough magma capable of covering an entire continent - a super volcano - though a smaller one in this class.
Our last morning in New Mexico we spent at Petroglyph National Park. It is located about 15-20 mins out of downtown Albuquerque. It is a good place for a short easy hike (1-2miles) when you only have a couple of hours to spare. The kids had fun looking for ancient drawings (or grafiti) along the trail.
For pictures or more details, feel free to visit my blog at http://www.budgettravelwithkids.com/...ue-new-mexico/
Between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, is a National Monument called Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. Entrance fee is $5 - free if you have an annual National Parks pass. The Canyon trail took us into beautiful slot canyons made of white volcanic tuff formed from volcanic ash of the nearby super volcano. Over time the volcanic tuff was shaped into cones, like tents. It is quite a strenuous hike, with some rock scrambling and quick elevation changes. Our youngest, who was 3 1/2 at the time did the hike with some help. The almost 4 mile trail is definitely worth the view, to and from the top. Hold on tight to your kids as there are big drops.
Another park we visited is Bandelier National Park. Entrance fee $12, free with an annual National Parks pass. There are 2 main areas: the Main loop and Tsankawi Trail. The main loop is a 1.2 mile loop that is paved with side trips into cave dwellings. Side trips require ladder climbing to look inside the cave dwelling but you can easily skip this and still complete the loop. This short hike also includes an excavated area of an ancient pueblo round house and a kiva. (A kiva is a circular chamber, usually partially underground, used for ceremonies by the Pueblo people). It is always interesting to see how people of different cultures live. This hike also boasts amazing views of petroglyphs and amazing hoodoo like rock structures made of volcanic tuff. Along this trail, there is a side trip. Alcove House trail, requires 140ft of climbing tall ladders, not recommended for those with fear of heights, dizziness or low physical fitness. There are nice views along the way.
A little ways down the road (12 miles) there is another trail called the Tsankawi Trail. Stop by the visitor center to get a map and directions to the Tsankawi Trail as there was no signage along the road. There is a short ladder climb at the very beginning of the hike. It can be a loop trail but requires being able to climb 2 ladders. One ladder is 12 feet tall, the other slightly shorter. If you can't climb the tall ladder, you can still do the trail, you'll just have to go back the same way you came, but you will have to climb the short ladder at the beginning. At the top of the mesa, near the middle of the loop, there is an ancient round house, though unexcavated. Look around for ancient broken pottery along trail near this area. If you look carefully, you can see the remains of the roundhouse encircling you. The second part of this trail took us on narrow ancient foot paths carved into the white volcanic tuff that makes up the cliff. As we enjoyed these amazing views, we imagined Native Americans making their daily commute from the fields below on these very paths over 800 years ago. Along these ancient footpaths are petroglyphs and alcoves dug into volcanic tuff used for dwelling.
Not too far from Santa Fe is Valle Caldera, a National Monument, soon to be National Park. Valle Caldera is an ancient volcano that has a crater 12 miles in diameter. Valle Grande hike is a free hike we did, that is 2 miles round trip, which took us down the crater wall, but stops just as we got into the crater. The visitor center is located near the center of crater, whose road is only accessible when visitor center is open. Hours change frequently so check the website for updated information. Near the center of the crater, near the visitor center is a small hill called Redondo Peak. It was formed when magma pushed up the surface. The crater itself is a grassland, with the tree line starting at the base of the crater wall, going up the crater wall. Pretty cool when you realize that this seemingly unremarkable meadow is really the inside of a crater filled with enough magma capable of covering an entire continent - a super volcano - though a smaller one in this class.
Our last morning in New Mexico we spent at Petroglyph National Park. It is located about 15-20 mins out of downtown Albuquerque. It is a good place for a short easy hike (1-2miles) when you only have a couple of hours to spare. The kids had fun looking for ancient drawings (or grafiti) along the trail.
For pictures or more details, feel free to visit my blog at http://www.budgettravelwithkids.com/...ue-new-mexico/
Feb 16th, 2016, 03:12 AM
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This is one of our favorite parts of the country to explore. Bandelier is an interesting look at how to use the rock available for housing, a bit different from Mesa Verde etc. I was glad to hear that the ladders in Tswankai were repaired since we were there in 2013.
Thanks for the report.
Thanks for the report.
