Everything about Bandelier National Monument totally explained
» For the anthropologist, see Adolph Bandelier.
Bandelier National Monument is a
U.S. National Monument consisting of 32,737
acres (132.48 km²) of northern
New Mexico,
United States. About five-sevenths (23,367 acres (94.56 km²)) of the monument has been designated a
wilderness area. The
Valles Caldera National Preserve adjoins the monument on the north and east, extending into the
Jemez Mountains.
History
Bandelier was designated a National Monument on
February 11,
1916, and the wilderness area was designated in October 1976.
The national monument is named after
anthropologist Adolph Bandelier.
Several serious
forest fires have plagued the monument in the latter part of the 20th century, culminating in the disastrous
Cerro Grande Fire of 2000. This fire originated as a
controlled burn for
fire control but spread out of control owing to high winds, eventually burning over 40,000 acres (160 km²) of forest and destroying 250 homes in Los Alamos.
Monument description
The main attraction of the monument for the casual visitor is Frijoles Canyon, containing the (restored) ruins of a number of dwellings,
kivas (ceremonial structures),
rock paintings and
petroglyphs. Some of the dwellings were rock structures built on the
canyon floor; others were "cave dwellings" produced by voids in the
tuff of the canyon wall and enlarged by human action; and still others were constructed of rock but used the canyon wall as the back wall of rooms. A 1-mile (1.6 km), predominantly paved loop trail from the visitors' center affords access to these features. A spur trail extending beyond this loop leads to Alcove House (formerly called Ceremonial Cave, and still so identified on some maps), a shelter cave produced by
erosion of the soft tuff and containing a small, restored kiva that the
hiker may enter via ladder.
A large collection of structures at the monument were built during the
Great Depression by the
Civilian Conservation Corps, constituting the largest assembly of CCC-built structures in a National Park area that hasn't been altered by new structures in the district. This group of 31 buildings illustrates the guiding principles of
National Park Service Rustic architecture.
Other, primitive trails enter the backcountry, which contains additional ruins,
canyon/
mesa country, and some transient waterfalls. Hikes to many of these areas are feasible and range in length from short (<1 hour) excursions to multi-day
backpacks (permits required for overnight trips). Unfortunately, some of the backcountry ruins have been submerged, damaged, or rendered inaccessible by Cochiti Lake, a
reservoir on the
Rio Grande created to reduce seasonal
flooding that threatened communities and agricultural areas downstream.
A detached portion of the monument called the
Tsankawi unit is near the town of
Los Alamos and offers the day hiker a chance to see ruins and
petroglyphs in an unrestored condition. Also at the Tsankawi unit are ruins of the home and school for Indians established by Baroness
Vera von Blumenthal and her lover
Rose Dougan (or Dugan).
In the upper elevations of the monument,
Nordic skiing is possible on a small network of trails reachable from New Mexico Highway 4. However, not every winter produces snowfall sufficient to allow good skiing.
Wildlife at Bandelier
Wildlife is locally abundant, and
deer and
Abert's squirrels are frequently encountered in Frijoles Canyon.
Black bear and
mountain lions inhabit the monument but are rarely encountered, even by the backcountry hiker. A substantial herd of
elk are present (and represent a significant driving hazard) during the winter months, as snowpack forces them down from their summer range in the Jemez Mountains. Notable among the smaller mammals of the monument are large numbers of
bats that seasonally inhabit shelter caves in the canyon walls, sometimes including those of Frijoles Canyon near the loop trail, which is diverted as necessary to avoid the bat colonies.
Wild turkeys,
vultures,
ravens, several species of
birds of prey, and a number of
hummingbird species are common.
Rattlesnakes,
tarantulas, and "
horned toads" (actually a species of
lizard) are occasionally seen along the trails.
Gallery
Image:Bandelier Kiva.jpg|Reconstructed kiva at Alcove House (Ceremonial Cave)
Image:Bandelier tent rocks.jpg|Tent rock formations at Bandelier
Image:Bandalier houses.jpg|Cliff dwellings at Bandelier
Image:Bandelier cave dwelling.jpg|Cave dwelling at Bandelier
Image:Basketmaking, P Velarde.jpg|Basketmaking, by Pablita Velarde. Bandelier museum collection
Further Information
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