Traipsing through the expansive Bandelier National Monument in Northern New Mexico is often a spiritual adventure and history lesson combined for visitors. The beautiful yet rugged landscape features 70 miles of hiking trails, which wind through 33,000 acres of canyon and mesa country. While the entire area is a fascinating trek for adventurers by itself, most visitors come to view a bygone time of the Ancestral Pueblo people, who resided here for more than 11,000 years ago.

Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos is full of wildlife and stunning backcountry.
Bandelier National Monument/Facebook
Overnight stays and camp sites are available.
The setting is full of wildlife, beautiful birds, plants, and wildflowers.
Bandelier National Monument/Facebook
The diversity found here includes wetlands, grasslands, groves, forests, grasslands, and riparian areas. The variety is what made it appealing to the Ancestral Pueblo people.
The monument is one of the National Park Service's oldest sites (1916). Its visitor center built in the 1930s is located in Frijoles Canyon and is the starting point for those curious to know more about the culture that once lived here.
Kent Kanouse/Flickr
There are so many places to explore, so you'll want a good pair of hiking shoes. While the main loop trail (1.2 miles) provides easy access, more challenging and rigorous hikes are also located throughout.
The cliffs include the impressive 10,199-foot Cerro Grande Peak that provides the base for the former living quarters in the rock.
Bandelier National Monument/Facebook
Bandelier National Monument/Facebook
The archaeological sites are both fascinating and impressive.

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If able and willing, visitors can climb ladders up to the remains of the ancient homes.
Robert Wilson/Flickr
Some ladders are easy to scale. A more challenging climb is at Alcove House, which requires four ladders and stone stairs to make the 140-foot ascent.
The small carved rooms are known as caveats.
sonofabike/Flickr
Most of the rooms were used for storing food.
An ancient Indian village, Tyuonyi, now archaeological ruins at Frijoles canyon, shows a remarkable lifestyle.
ndy Reising/Flickr
Robert Wilson/Flickr
Fascinating rock formations surround the village area.
Petroglyphs have been preserved and are on display for visitors.
Rakka/Flickr

Self-guided tours are available all year. The primary visitor area is accessible only by shuttle during summer months when guided walks are offered daily. Peak season (mid-May to October) hours are 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. daily. Non-peak hours are from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Have you visited Bandelier National Monument, and if so, what were your impressions? Would you recommend visitors to stay and camp in the canyon areas while there? For more on the Los Alamos area, here are 8 Reasons To Drop Everything And Move To This One New Mexico City.

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