Discovering History, Nature, and Pleasure at Bandelier National Monument ★★★★★ My visit to the Bandelier National Monument was precisely the stimulating, serene escape I had been looking for while visiting Santa Fe. The easy hiking trail, far from being taxing, offered breathtaking views of the flourishing nature surrounding us. Engaging myself in this clean, well-maintained park created an atmosphere of tranquility and reverence for the land. A surprising highlight, however, was the delightful 'Hiking Cafe.' Here, they managed to pair the beauty of the landscape with some of the most exquisite wines — a tandem that never fails to bring joy to an enthusiast like me. One feature I highly recommend for the future is an innovative walking audio tour. Providing an in-depth depiction of the local history, and an invaluable insight into the Tribal Nations that once graced this area would be an excellent way to integrate education with exploration. I recommend this place to anyone looking for an engaging, enlightening, and enjoyable retreat.

My wife and I decided to take a short visit and we sure enjoyed our adventure. The weather was beautiful for our 45-minute hike. The trail was not to crowded. We saw families with all ages from little ones all the way up to older 75+ . I enjoyed it and would recommend visiting.

Gorgeous location. It's really neat that you can climb into some of the caves. The main loop was easy enough that our kids (4&6) could complete it. They loved climbing into the caves. Went on a Gorgeous winter day.

An absolutely incredible national park / monument. It fills up early in the morning, so I recommend getting there before 10:30am to get guaranteed parking. The main trails to do is called the Pueblo Loop, it takes about an hour and passes some old dwellings and part of a village from 1150CE. You can climb into the houses in the caves too, super cool! I recommend doing the extra Alcove House hike - it’s a extra mile and involves climbing some steep ladders, but is really cool. The best trail however is the falls trail - about 90mins there and back but an AWESOME view of a waterfall and the end of the canyon. Very worthwhile!

Bandelier was absolutely beautiful!! I was surprised how many trees there were in the canyon and the leaves were changing which made for such an amazing back drop! The cultural site was very interesting and the canyon wall was incredible! The ladders made the whole experience all the more fun. The ascent to the Alcove was an adventure and the view from the Alcove was well worth the effort. I would highly recommend seeing this beautiful, remarkable site. The drinking chocolate at the cafe was a tasty motivator for the kids and the cafe menu looked delicious. I somehow missed that there is a shuttle from the adjacent town (White Rock, I believe) which you have to take to access Bandelier unless you are camping, have limited mobility, or very young children. So bear in mind the additional time needed.

Worth every mile I drove to visit. The walk to these sites are fairly easy. Until you get to the Alcove house. 140 feet off the canyon floor so not for those scared of heights.

Here is another off the beaten path National Monument very worthy of a visit. Bandelier has the Cliff dwellings and they actually let you climb up the ladders and go inside them. Very cool views after you climb the stairs to get up to the dwellings. The rangers told me they saw a momma bear and 2 cubs very early in the morning prior to the park opening. And showed me pics. They don’t allow cars to drive to the variations center. You have to take a shuttle bus you catch back in town, White Rock. There is a guard at the park entrance that won’t let you in and there is a gate.

The Park Rangers I encountered were really helpful. If you’re military, take advantage of the opportunity to get the National Park pass. It will save you park and parking fees. The gift shop is worth you spending 15-20 minutes inside.

Wonderful experience exploring cliff dwellings and the historic sites. Beautiful, easy hike to the main sites. You’re able to climb ladders to get inside several of the cliff dwellings. Note: you must take a free shuttle most of the year (check website for dates) and it is about a 30-40 minute ride. Easy to use just plan accordingly! They will check your national park pass (or you pay daily admission) when you arrive. Good cafe on site with variety of choices!

Extremely interesting. Self guided at your own pace. You can enter the cliff dwellings, there are interpretive signs along the way ... and the big plus foe me... plenty of benches to sit and catch my breath on the way up. Even saw some cool rock are. And eat at the Cafe. Best burger I've had in YEARS!

Very unique landscape, and incredible vestiges of an old civilization that you can interact with. The use of the shuttle is mandatory during the summer, from 9am to 3pm. There is a 25 dollar fee per group, even if you are driving your car all the way up. But it’s worth it, the park is very well maintained and you don’t see these structures almost anywhere else

The museum was very informative of the people who used to live in the canyon. The rangers were helpful. The loop was paved with stairs that had hand railings. Unfortunately I went just after it had snowed and was unable to see the alcove house but the other trails were open. Cute cafe that served good food and drinks.

This was our first time seeing cliff dwellings and we loved it. We would have enjoyed more informational plaques to help us understand what we were seeing better. That said, we could have bought a guide at the visitor center - we were just too lazy to turn back. There is a side trail off the main loop that climbs up to the top of the cliff. Worth the trek for some great views (but quite steep)

Came here on January 1st. Late in the afternoon. Glad this park is open until 5pm. Such an awesome detour. Definitely will come back with more plans to explore. Seems like a huge park. $25 for our vehicle. 1.7 mile loop past some cliff dwellings was perfect. They also have a little museum showing history. Tough to imagine anyone being disappointed with this place.

So much history here. The climb to the upper house is no joke, amazing views. Really nice trails, ladders and steps. Take extra time to scan for petroglyphs sometimes way above the above the roof holes.

Bandelier is a busy place. If you arrive without checking ahead you will be directed down to White Rock a 20 min drive to ride a shuttle back to the main gate. Parking opens up after 3pm at the actual site. On arrival the settings is just beautiful. The rangers are kind and helpful. We loved all the opportunities to visit the past civilizations and the ingenuity they possessed.

It's humbling to walk through this ancient pueblo and compare what would have been their existence vs. our lives today. Fascinating! The walk is easy to navigate, often a paved walkway, but does require some degree of stairs and climbing to get "close up and personal". There are two locations in which to park, the first being about a 20 minute shuttle to the site and the other at the site but with pretty limited parking. Overall, a great family outing experience!

Lovely place to see the historic remains of Navaho people. It’s a scared land so no more archeological exploration. It has very nice paved roads to walk on with an excellent cafe, store and rest room facilities. The historic remains are a delight to watch. A number of trails are available to walk on. Takes you back in time and makes one wonder how did the Navajos live there ? Highly recommend

Bandelier is a hidden gem. This national monument is well maintained allowing guests to actively explore the cave dwellings. Climbing the ladders to visit the Alcove house was a great experience and provided a unique perspective.

A beautiful place to visit with such amazing history. It truly takes you back in time. The visitor center gives so much background of the area that when you walk up to see the dwellings it all comes together. So amazing how the natives lived here and how the area was formed. This place is a must visit!

A fantastic place to visit rich with history. Definitely get the map that has the numbered stops along the way for $2, highly worth it for all of the information. The 1 mile loop is fairly easy, some steeper inclines including steps but mostly accessible to anyone. Note that you're most likely going to have to take the shuttle up to the park which is a 25ish minute ride up to the park. They weren't allowing people to park in the parking lot when we had gone. A little pro tip though, there's a first lot by the first shuttle stop, park there and you don't have to drive all the way down by the white rock visitor center and can hop on there to be dropped off. Park is not free, check website for admission prices.

Trails are easy to follow and the area within the park is beautiful. There are several areas where you climb ladders to see the ruins. On busy days plan to wait in the areas with ladders as people with different experience and families are going up and down, so be patient as these areas tend to get congested. Overall nice place to visit and would recommend.