Reviews of Bandelier National Monument (Park)

Kelly Johnson

Very beautiful place, climbing the ladders was scary and fun. Takes you back to a different time and helps you picture what it was like

He Wi

Scary yet unforgettable climb to the Alcove House. I went there in the winter and it was sunny. The paths were cleared and there were not so many people. The path to the Alcove House however, was not cleared but it’s open. Wearing snow boots is recommended (although I was just wearing normal sneakers, so some water got in). The Alcove House is beautiful!!!!

Ro Kle

Wanted to visit but wasn't able to. They don't take camping reservations since, according to their website, they rarely fill up. Guess what? They were full when we arrived. Since we were pulling a camper they allowed us in to loop through the campsites since we couldn't turn around by the entrance. That's when we saw cones blocking campsites even though there were no vehicles, belongings, or signs that anyone was using the site. Hmm Just another time the Park Service has disappointed me.

Israel Siria

A must do visit. Very close to Santa Fe and located in a very beautiful and scenic landscape. Amazing to see how the native Americans used to live thousands of year ago. It feels like another planet.

John Getko

nice place to hike and camp. the cliff dwellings are nice but not much else. Staff was very friendly

Ken Burnside

A good hike up to the cliffs, but worth it. Not great for kids due to the steep climbs and drops.

Brad Rogers

An absolutely fantastic experience. Very glad that we took a day to drive up from Albuquerque. Given the remoteness, and the elevation, This is not necessarily an easy visit. If you have mobility problems, you will not be able to get very close to the cliff dwellings themselves. But you will be able to see them from the paved path. The information that is presented in the trail guide is very good. It's worth viewing the exhibits in the visitor center first, because it puts everything in context.

bob stuerke

The hour long (round trip) shuttle bus ride to and from the visitor center is something to definately avoid. I would not recommend this to anyone. The $25 entrance fee makes it even worse. There are many very nice things to do and see in the area insread of wasting a day on this.

Jesse Card

Took a trip here on a spare day in a trip to Santa Fe (Meow Wolf) for a quick outdoor adventure after visiting the plaza. The park is beautiful and a variety of interesting ruins are easily and quickly accessible from the main loop rail from the visitor center. We were able to go out and back with a small group with kids really easily. Grab a pamphlet and take the tour. It's one of the more worthwhile short visits if you don't have a lot of time in the area.

Patrick Gregerson

An easy trip from Santa Fe to see prehistoric petroglyphs, dwellings and other ruins going back some 11,000 years. Expect to climb up long ladders made from local timber. Experience what it must have been like to live in a very primitive existence.

Mike Allgaier

I am a nuclear energy and submarine service provider. Very good layout and educational experience.

Robert S

A must stop in Santa Fe. Hiking trails are awesome.

Catseye189

Shuttle access is very off-putting. The price is high, having someone else regulate my trip, not knowing who else is on that shuttle. I travel with children and I'd prefer to use my own vehicle. I know Trump cut the budget for the Parks so they are looking to recoup funding, but this is not the way to do it! We have gone to this site many times over the years. Great trail, education, lots of things to climb on!

William Wright

Nice easy hike to view cliff dwellings. If you want to climb some ladders, you can sit in one of the larger dwellings. Interesting landscape with evidence of recent flooding. Will visit again.

B Goddard

Awesome experience, great for families as the hiking can be minimal if you do the standard cliff dwelling loop, plenty of longer options too.

Tina Bess

Fabulous place to walk among ancient people's villages and cave homes. The scenery was gorgeous. The walks to the caves and up to Alcove House were well worth the effort. There are 4 extremely long wooden ladders and many narrow steps and passageways up to Alcove House so avoid it if you have a fear of heights.

Regina Cantrell

Beautiful! Fantastic scenery and photo opportunities in this state. Make plans to visit, if you haven’t been to this part of the world. Beautiful! Fantastic scenery and photo opportunities in this state. Make plans to visit, if you haven’t been to this part of the world.

Malavika Muralidharan

Amazing place to learn all about cliff dwellings of ancient Pueblo people. The Main Loop Trail + the Alcove House took us about 2-3 hours including time for pictures and using the Main Loop Trail Guide ($2 from the visitor center) to learn more about each site. We entered after 3:30 PM so we could drive our own car. Otherwise, there's a shuttle that runs every half hour from White Rock Visitor Center about 20 min away from the entrance.

Amy Del Prete

Fanastic Park that is a marvel of natural rock formations and ancient Pueblo cave dwellings.

Adam Wunsch

Great hidden gem and quick hiking spot with a lot of history

Elizabeth Wait

This is a great place to visit!!! There are a variety of trails. The cliff dwellings are really neat, and there are many options for how far you want to go. Many of the ladders are optional, but not in Alcove House. There are many birds and other interesting animals. Trails are well marked. In the summer, during most hours you have to take a shuttle from White Rock if you are not camping. Be sure to check the rules on that, as well as when the last shuttle leaves. I highly recommend hiking to Upper Falls.

Gage Pacheco

Don’t take a heavy bag but this place is full of history it is very cool to look at and the hiking is cool

Iggy Priceless

I love everything about Native American history!

EGU

NPS nails it again! Amazing!

Kenneth Jones

It was an amazing experience. The beauty and history is astounding.

Steven Duryea

Great place. Awesome park.

Taufique Hassan

The Tsankawi trail is amazing! Lots for great views along the way. You will be able to see sone beautiful caves.

Michael Frisbee

Very cool, should stop and check this place out

Jamie Weare

Beautiful park. The trails are awesome. If you go, check out the ladders.

sigmund rodrigues

Awesome. Had a great day hiking around bandelier. What a beautiful place with all those caves. Planning to go there again with more friends in summer.

Eduardo Ramirez

Super awesome site, well maintained, we bought a little booklet win lots of info we recommended!! I'll back again!!

Varun Krishna

I do see in USA Evey where historic historic but this is some.rhng real historic and beautiful

Eric Rainwater

One of my favorite spots in Northern New Mexico.

Darwin Stender

The area is simply beautiful.

Donna Ackels

Beautiful. We will be back next year. Wonderful and very helpful knowledgeable staff

Dan Jennings

Incredible monument to thousands of years of history! I loved being able to climb into the cliff dwellings.

Matthew Murray

Second best cliff dwellings after Mesa Verde with fewer people in a 1,300 feet deep canyon.

Paige Randolph

I have been wanting to hike this place and I'm glad I finally did, my kiddos learned a lot about the area and we were glad we choose this place to be our mini vacay getaway. It was pretty easy for my kiddos.

Christine Willis

Super interesting. As stated before, pick up the shuttle in White Rock at the Visitor Center. The staff are very helpful. Approx. 20 min. bus ride to the Bandelier Visitor Center. You can take the self guided trail or a ranger walk. In the summer make certain to wear appropriate clothing, a hat for sure. Take water, perhaps more that you think necessary. My husband & I climbed two of the short ladders up to the small caves which served as living quarters. We didn't try to reach Alcove House, which is reached by 4 wooden ladders and many stone stairs. Well worth your time.

Stefan Schurter

Worth a trip. Go early, we were there at 8:20 am, Sept 26. You can drive down before 9, then u have to take shuttle. The 25 bucks per car is a ripp off. Spend 2hrs. Easy trails. Saw deer.

Jesse Blough

So cool! Climbing up and down ladders and exploring old cliff dwellings was a blast. Falls Trail was deserted and made for a quick run with a beautiful destination

Ri Ja

Very beautiful and interesting place to visit. Staff was very knowledgeable. Fun for the whole family .

David Pittman

This would be a great place to visit for anyone without prior exposure to ancient pueblo culture. Having previously visited Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, and Mesa Verde (before the fire), Bandolier was pleasant and interesting but not revelatory.

marvin s

Wonderful day adventure. Easy friendly walking trails.

Stephanie Nolt

It's been years since I've been here n I was not disappointed!!! Still an amazing place!

Will Koehrsen

The national parks and national monuments are truly the best idea ever to be implemented in America. I can highly recommend Bandelier National Monument to anyone and any family, just as with all the other treasures in our national parks system!

Mimi Holden

Easy to get to. Great information. Doable in an afternoon.

Kit Potter

Fabulous and fascinating. If you can walk up and down the stairs, you'll see amazing history; if you have a wheelchair or walker, they've made it possible for you to go into the canyon as well. The system of storytelling here is to give you a folder with number-keys for what you are seeing. There is a short history film as well. The food is tasty but expensive and the few items on the menu are not always available.

Shelia Hammonds

Great place to visit. Be prepared for lots of walking and some steep climbs if you want to experience all

Tim Brellow

Amazing place. I'm disabled so I never made it to the site.

Stephanie Mesdaghi

Unique archeological site with well-maintained trails. Park at White Rock visitor center and take the shuttle (runs every 20 minutes). There is a small cafe at the Bandalier visitor center, along with a small museum, gift shop, and restrooms. Buy the main loop guide for $2 for valuable information on the sites along the trail.

Bill Zhang

Pre-historic settlement of Pueblo town both on cliff and in the valley. Really cool views and history behind it. Awesome geographic formation.

Sharon Huskey

Beautiful. The historic pueblo ruins are amazing to see. Petroglyphs are fascinating. Lots of wildlife

J.T. Knowlton

The most amazing kiva and ancient village I've seen in all of SW

Ron Caron

Great staff, clean bathrooms, nice camp sites.

Thomas Klein

A unique place to visit and witness ancient culture.

Michael

Just go and visit this place you wont be disappointed.

Cameron Tomele

Fascinating! We spent many hours here learning and climbing around.

Kari Tatinski

Amazing to visit, shares a glimpse of life many years ago. Favorite part was seeing the petroglyphs

Ophelia Hall

I love visiting this park every time I'm in New Mexico! It's a great trail with tons of fun history to learn about. The mountains and ruins are beautiful and there's tons of places to explore. The stone paintings are amazing to see in person as well as the small homes the past civilizations lived in. It's a great place for adventure!

Kristin Bogopane

Fun adventure for the whole family. First time I saw a woodpecker in action in real life! Pretty interesting. It was nice to walk around and be able to climb ladders into homes lived in so many years ago. The main loop was family friendly, just don't bring strollers as there are lots of stairs. Climbing the ladders are optional on this route, but give you a different perspective.

Terra Costin

I found this place by looking up "things to do with kids near Santa Fe". It did not disappoint! We did the main loop and alcove house trails, for a total of about 2.25 miles, and our kids loved that they got to climb up ladders and go on stone stairs, and see the caves where the Native Americans used to love, and cross little bridges over the stream several times. Our kids are 10, 6, 4, and 2, and this was totally doable. My husband did carry our youngest up and down the ladders, and I went right behind our 4 year old in case she slipped, but it wasn't too hard. The views are beautiful. It was also a bonus that we went when there was some snow on the ground. Our youngest kids have only seen snow twice in their lives, and they loved that there was enough snow to make snowballs and throw them at each other. I would definitely recommend going here. It feels like you're stepping back into history and you can really picture what a bustling little village this would have been back in its time.

Albert Ulak

Inspiring landscape and humbling historical context.

Dennis Burns

Bandelier National Monument is an excellent place to visit and get a feel for life lived hundreds of years ago. The Monument allows you to climb and walk among several cliff dwellings. Don't miss the 140 foot a cent to the alcove house nestled on the side of a sheer cliff. The views are breathtaking and worth the effort. Look closely at the forest edge as you walk along the river. We spotted mule deer and squirrels along the way. Great place to visit!

Olivia Savell

I don't know that I have the words to describe this place. Bandelier area includes more than 150 archaeological sites associated with the ancestral pueblo of the Pajarito Plateau. It is amazing to see these well maintained cave dwellings as well as getting a peak into how these native Americans lived on a day to day basis. During the summer months there is a shuttle bus that will take you to the campgrounds and to the visitors center. There you can get a free guided tour by a park ranger or take a self guided tour with one of the parks pamphlets that delineates all you need to know about the area. Self guided tours are dictated by your own personal abilities to walk and climb. There are benches to facilitate a rest. You currently have the ability to climb the ladders to a few well preserved caves. Wear comfortable loose clothing, bring a hat and wear sunscreen. We did encounter a rattle snake so just be aware of your surroundings.

Shane Clark

Welcoming, informative staff, great hike, 1st trip, will be back to do the others

John Byrne

The new shuttle system is great. Leaving the car in White Rock lets you catch a shuttle every 30 minutes (every 20 on weekends). This also allowed me to hike the mesa rim trails which start from the campground, and still get a ride back to the visitor center when the hike is done. Very friendly and informative rangers. They have backwoods enforcement rangers out walking the hiking trails, so you can feel safe and well cared for.

Kenneth Thompson

Really interesting history here. Various hikes depending upon your ability and time.

Riley K

A really nice national park. They provide a free shuttle service in and out of the park which is great because it keeps people coming in 20 minute intervals which kinda keeps the crowds down even on holidays.

Judith Mattoon

This is a magical, spiritual place. The park service does an excellent job with their educational exhibits. They also have not "over -signed" the outdoors, so you can really get a sense of the timelessness of the spaces. I could have spent the entire day there just soaking up the atmosphere, but a three-year-old grandson does get hungry! A lovely surprise was the dining area. Run by a catering company called Sirphey, the food was amazingly well prepared and the menu very well thought out.

Rebecca Mueller

It was absolutely great! The alcove house was definitely posted correctly. Very strep and lots of ladders, but great views!

Mariah Shakur

Love this place so beautiful so historic

Kayla Martinez

I loved learning about the people who lived here. The kiva at the top of the mountain is also really cool if you decide to climb up to it (which I highly suggest if you can)!

Jennifer Sommer

Loved our time here. The main loop Trail was excellent. It was a little strenuous, but my 82-year-old mother completed it using all the rest benches along the way. She also was not able to climb the ladders up into the rooms, but most people can handle it. Most of the trail was paved though there were a few tricky spots and narrow stairways. Very nice visitor center. There is a car entrance fee. We spent about 3 hours here. Restrooms are available. Very well maintained. Gorgeous place to visit.

Rich Reed

Awesome place, makes you appreciate what you have.

Rho M.

THIS IS A CAR FREE PARK. You must take shuttle from visitor center or park elsewhere. But unlike other parks, here you can climb into cliff dwellings! It's awesome! Beautiful landscapes and ruins you can walk among. With film and hike, give yourself 2 hours to see everything. Shuttles run every 30 mins on top & bottom of hours.

Megan Webb

This history of this place is incredible. I could just imagine what life would have been like. It's incredible how the people used to love. Definitely worth going to.

Elizabeth Rogers

Great day outside exploring cliff dwellings. The Rangers are friendly and happy to answer questions

Julia Honaberger

Beautiful place to visit . If you like hiking and seeing ancestral dwellings this is the place.

Heather Knight

Fascinating. The dwelling are amazing and the nature hike to get to them and back is an added bonus. Don't go when busy so you can take your time investigating the dwellings.

Michael S

Pretty nice place to just stop by, or plan a longer trip and bring the kids. It's like camping but without the hassle of making sure your campfire is completely out.

Sickpuppy109

Park is very nice and well taken care of. It's a bit of a hike so bring proper shoes.

Ronald Moubray

Great place to take the family. Plan a whole day

Marquita Purdy

Great price of history. Love our national parks!!!

Becky Nevin

This is a really cool self guided tour

Aaron Gonzalez

Awesome great hikes lots too see.

John Clemmer

Another amazing experience. Our National Parks Service does a great job!

Doug Graham

Fantastic National Monument! Great hiking trails and views; Enjoy!

Colin Warden

History was neat! Go early

Rebecca Rougeau

Such fun! And good information. A walk into the past.

Ed Fischer

A well run historic site. Bring water and allow enough time to enjoy at a casual pace. Allow at least an hour or two for the site plus another 30 minutes for the visitor center. There's a small snack bar, nice restrooms and plentiful staff. Note: between 9 am and 3 PM, you cant drive to the visitor center. You must park in a shuttle lot and wait for a bus that runs every 30 minutes, so if you just miss it when you arrive you'll need to sit and wait 30 minutes, same when yore done. Bad timing could add 1 hour of waiting for shuttles. Consider arriving before 9am or after 3pm.

Sol Mitchek

Bring water, your camera, and a good pair of shoes, it is a worthwhile adventure. 3.5 miles full loop hike.

Elite Pickle

This national monument is a must see. It is a view of the Americas over half a millennium ago. Wonderful brick city remnants and cave dwellings, not to mention petroglyphs. Preserved for all to see.

Lisa price

Pretty cool. Be prepared to walk!

Michael Kleiner

This place was very educational for us and our children. Amazing that people used to live in the side of these rock formations, long ago. The fact that you can climb up the ladders and in to them was by far the most fun. Bring good shoes and be ready for a workout!

Dan Saale

Excellent access to very unique formations with informative plaques along trails.

Chris Reedy

So fun to visit this park! Kids loved being able to climb in to the ruins.

Jeff Murphy

Such a rich hike. Rangers are very helpful.

John Bordy

Had a great time exploring here. Being required to take the bus to/from the visitor center was a little inconvenient, but not too bad. Pricing structure was a bit odd...$25.00 whether for a single person or for a group.

L.Z. Tang

I loved my visit to this park, the caves were an amazing glimpse into the past.

Casey Abbott

A really good glimpse into the past. The $2 brochure is definitely worth it if you want to know about the history. Climb up to the alcove if you can! It's an interesting experience.

Ben Flint

Awesome, nice trails and guided tours. Plenty to see and do. Plan for a half to whole day here to see everything. You have to shuttle in cause there isn't enough parking during the day.

Robert Rodriguez

Great visit, highly recommend this for the whole family. You'll love it

Stephen Pederson

So, since I was not aware I hope I can inform you, if you visit, you must stop in the little town and get on the shuttle, if you actually want to go into the Monument and Visitor Center. There is no access by car into the Monument itself. This was no problem for us but I wish I would have known. We actually drove up to the Juniper campground and did a short hike to the Overlook, it was amazing. There was a ranger at the entrance that was super helpful. You do still have to pay to enter anywhere in the monument. The shuttle does come up there and you can get on it then. I highly recommend the overlook hike.

Robin Stoughton

Awesome scenery & so much to see! Private, quiet campsites. Staff is very knowledgeable & happy to share it with you. Trails are diverse from easy to challenging & all have fantastic views. Best place I've stayed so far & I will be back.

Robert Armbruster

Fascinating place! Amazing culture!

Justin Nichols

Spent 3 hours round trip including shuttle. Didn't go to the alcove house but wished I would have.

Mihai Boboc

Tom is an amazing tour guide. The place is great.

Robert Burns

Great place with tons of history. We enjoyed the ranger walk (about 2h), took a break for lunch then walked the main loop trail and the additional .5 miles to the one on the cliff. With a 9 and 12yo we did all that in about 3 hours.

Jesse B

The views were really beautiful and the Pueblo Indian caves you can climb around in were lots of fun and educational. I can't believe I hadn't heard of this before.

L.A.P Coins

Historical place with lots of caves. Neat walking in the Tewa’s paths.

Josh Wayland

Amazing piece of history and a joy to walk through and see. A geological wonder. If you can make it up to the Alcove House, it's worth it. The view is spectacular.

Tracy Torbett

EXCELLENT-GO SEE THIS! Drive to White Rock, NM , park at the visitor’s center and buy your pass there. The staff is friendly and helpful and will tell you everything you need to know. A free shuttle service will drive you down into the canyon. TAKE WATER WITH YOU and sunscreen recommended. Once there, a Park volunteer greets you and tells you more information and makes sure you have water before you enter. There are no restrooms after the entry. Buy the $2 booklet inside that tells you about 21 different stops along the way. You can tour with a park employee or on your own. Cliff dwellings not accessible to wheelchairs and anyone challenged by stairs will have difficulty. Such a great preserved place. We learned so much and are very glad we visited. There are camping and picnic areas available. Highly, highly recommend.

Michael Hatten

Out of all the places we visited this year Bandelier ranked at the top of the list. Fairly easy trail. Lots of flora and fauna. Full of history and culture. Go early to miss the crowds and to park near the head quarters otherwise you’ll have to ride a shuttle. Definitely coming back here.

Marrisa Stark

A crazy bucket list worthy experience for all ages. Highly recommended for a family trip! I will always remember the history and culture I absorbed here. The staff are so friendly and happy to answer any questions on the tour. Very affordable and very worth it. The staff truly respects the cite and history and very obviously cares about it deeply. I loved my visit here and would be happy to come again one day!

Randolph Stranz

This was probably one of the most interesting parks I visited. I would visit there again the next time I'm in the area. These where the homes of the Ancestral Puebloans with pueblos dating back almost 900 years. The park takes up the entire box canyon. Bandelier has been a national monument for over 100 years. The park offers guide and self-guided tours. Plenty of park rangers willing to help. There is so much history to enjoy. You will want to be prepared to do alot of walking. You will be in the sun for most of your hike and water is a good supply to bring. If you found this review insightful, please feel free to click the 'like' button. If you enjoyed a photo, please 'like' that as well.

Erin Stenzel

So much fun. Interesting to be the difference between the petroglyphs in Albuquerque and here. Spend the $2 to get the trail map... It's super interesting. If you don't have a fear of heights take the extra hour to visit the restored kiva!

Marcelo Calderón

Very interesting about the history of these pueblos, it migrations and how they found there a lot of resources. The little museum at the visitors center is very nice and educative. I could touch an obsidian stone for first time there.

Cheryl Lyons

Such a spectacular connection to history

Brian McIlvaine

Pleasant walk along the main loop trail. Nice areas for picnics. Beautiful vistas.

Barnacle Jones

We just loved it! Stayed at Juniper campground, hit the trails, and hit the caves. Wo fearful experience

Ben Johnson

It's an interesting place. You get ripped for$25 just to see it for 1 day. National park fee, ridiculous! But it's worth a look.

Shazia Akram

You learn a little of Indian civilizations at this park so worth the trip

Stacey Butterfield

It's so cool that you can climb in the ancient cave dwellings. Final hike up the ladders is definitely worth it for the view and sense of accmplishment if you're in shape for it.

Robert F

The trail was in good condition despite limited funding. Rangers were available throughout the park

Andy Moss

A small Park but worth the trip. The self guided tours have numbered sites that coraspond to the map. Excellent information and easy to follow. Parking is limited but almost never full because of the distance our of town. Bring water and anticipate hot temps even in October. The sun reflects off the mountains and heats up the pathways.

Harvey Carlock

Amazing ancient cliff dwellings with many petroglyphs along a geological wonderland created by Native Americans over many centuries! Astounding adventure awaits!

roberta belloni

There are simply no words. The views are breathtaking and the archaeological site with the caves is amazing. There are some very easy flat hikes accessible to all people. A must see

kelley hellman

Beautiful! Interesting that people climbed the mountain regularly to hunt or gather herbs, berries, wood & water! Imagine hunters carrying their kill to feed families or the village. Feast or famine!

Brandon Thurman

Fascinating. Don't chicken out on climbing the ladders, especially for alcove house - it's worth it.

Jo Luepke

Great place to visit with family. Easy shuttle ride into the park, nice walk to the Alcove

Karin Ward

Great hikes amazing cliff dwelings

Mark Sedillo

This was a great place to visit. Lots of history and amazing ruins that you actually get to explore. My daughter absolutely loved this place as did I. It was a great experience for both of us, highly recommend making the trip. Its nestled in a beautiful canyon with a lot of great scenery. Very educational.

Leanne Arvila

We love this place. Lots to discover, don't just stick to the main loop trail, there are lots of back-country trails. And don't miss Tsankawi, it's even better than Bandelier and less crowded

Bhavisha Patel

Must go. This is a unique place and one not to be missed. We went with 2 toddlers and they walked the Main loop from visitor center. Pack a lot of water and snacks. There are great picnic areas. Keep in mind that if you buy membership its valid at other national parks. We look forward to visiting here again.

Michelle Scarfino

Lots to do. Very educational. Clean and friendly.

Xiaohan Wang

We ran into a thunderstorm while visiting here. Have to stay in the cave till it ended. This is so unique experience and it felt like time travel back to 1000 years ago!

Oliver Thomenius-Stearns

A beautiful place everything was nice and the self guided tour allowed me to go at my own pace. But then we get to the restaurant... They were crossing things off the menu because they were running low on supplies, so there were no fries with the green Chile cheese burger meal (we all ordered it), and they still charged us the normal amount. The cashier showed lots of apathy. It took awhile for the food to come out and they burned two of the burgers my family ordered. So me and my brother ate ours while they were redoing my grandparents' burgers. The burger lacked toppings, which we found out were supposed to be included AFTER we ate our food when the cashier comes out with the toppings (remember, AFTER we ate). My grandparents' burgers were overcooked AGAIN. It would be a 5 star review if they had a proper restaurant for hungry hikers after the trail. but besides the restaurant, the Trip was great.

Brooke Grim

This is a really nice hike!

Michael Dynak

Very interesting; well worth the trip

R G

Such a cool place. Great, easy hiking trails and the ability to climb ladders into the cliff dwellings is by far the coolest thing. Get there early as it does get crowded.

D G

Cool place for a hike an view wonderland

joseph woods

Great historical value its hard to believe that many people lived together in the caves.. apparently not everybody had to ride the mandatory shuttle. Very interesting. The moderate hike up the cliffs are very narrow, is a bit much if your not in good shape. Bring lots of water.

Steve Bowlby

Have to park off site. Shuttle service takes you to the park. Lots of caves in the side of the mountains. There are ladders that you can use to go into caves. They are very small. Amazing to think people actually lived in them.

Jesse Cabello

Rode the shuttles. First class. The park was awesome

Levi Stone

I like the scenery of the place and the history of the place.

Tom Descano

Amazing, immense historical site of 1000+ yrs old native cave dwellings & structures, many carved or formed naturally out of the rockwalls. Great for kids studying or interested in American Indian culture & dwellings. We hiked the whole trail & climbed to the large upper natural cavern. Some of the stone stairways & ladders can be challenging for some. But they offer amazing experience & views. Use discretion based on your physical ability & use caution near edges. The scenery on the drive from Santa Fe is spectacular.

John Fiske

If you're interested in the Pueblo Indians, Bandelier National Park is a great place to spend a few hours. The paths are well marked and maintained. The park personnel were very helpful and friendly. The museum and movie were also very interesting.

Dennis Gaynair

The valley is beautiful with lush foliage. So glad we came at this time of year. The cliff dwellings are great all the time.

Audrey Garcia

Me and my adult boys had a great time here. They love hiking and history and caves and climbing, and this has all of that. It was wonderful to learn all of the history and to be able to go into the dwellings.

Evan Zonnefeld

Not much effort to see a very cool piece of history. Also, the alcove house is amazing with great views.

Matthias Rainer

amazing hiking paths and friendly rangers

Lance Chavez

Beautiful, very easy trails. Price to enter was 25$ for vehicle. Friendly n knowledgeable staff. Clean restrooms.

Robert Harrington

Grandeur, history, and hiking—well worth the visit! We were delighted to discover Bandelier National Monument as a multi-dimensional experience, just one-hour drive between Santa Fe and the park. The drive alone was well worth the trip with breathtaking views and light traffic both ways. The main attraction of the park starts at the Bandelier National Monument Visitor Center which is several miles from the entry, at the end of a winding road that descends to the floor of a canyon. The visitor’s center is a great facility with ranger programs, displays, food and drink, bathrooms, and good parking. We encountered plenty of other visitors on our visit, but we never felt crowded, although we did encounter short lines to enter some of the cavates (small human-carved alcoves in the wall of the ravine) along the Main Loop Trail. I think of our experience in a few dimensions. First, the hike through the ravine itself was beautiful and interesting, with sweeping views, picturesque rock formations, birds, trees and foliage, and a creek running through the center (with dramatic indications of past flooding). We also had a little snow (November) which only added to the beauty of the ravine’s scenery. Second, the remains of centuries of human settlements were fascinating. Once you experience the ravine and the unique rock formations, you can imagine life among beauty and security of place. Third, the hiking is great exercise with good paths, great views, and a good range of difficulty from easy to intermediate/strenuous—something for everyone. We chose to hike the easy Main Loop Trail and the more heart-pumping Frey Trail (500+ climb out of the canyon and across the plateau among the junipers). We spent 2 hours driving to/from the park and about 4 hours in the park. On our November visit, temperatures ranged from wear-a-coat cold to hot and exposure from shade to sunny, making clothing and hydration strategies important. TIP: I’d recommend visitors wear a hat, good walking/hiking shoes, sunscreen, and layered clothing and carry a small pack with water and a snack. All in all, I’d rate Bandelier National Monument as a perfect day trip from Santa Fe if you’re looking for an off the beaten path gem for a picturesque, fascinating, and fulfilling experience.

jane rita serwan

Fantastic experience. Always wanted to visit these ancient Pueblo cave dwellings. About a 2.5 mile hike through the canyon, up cliffs, and climbing ladders to the caves. Scenery is incredible. Highly recommend.

Matt Longacre

Good self- guided tour. Pretty easy to find everything.

Emily Taylor

Wow! Really awesome park! Be prepared to park at the White Rock Visitor Center and be shuttled to the park (about 20 minute ride). Shade is LIMITED until you get to the nature trail so bring your hat, lots of water, sunscreen, walking shoes, etc.

Thomas Wiczek

Beautiful. Amazing history & environment along trails. Went up & in all Dwellings. Don't let ladders at end of trail intimidate you. It's worth it.