Bandelier National Monument: Encyclopedia - Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument

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.

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) and rock paintings. 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) paved loop trail from the visitors' center affords access to these features. A spur trail extending beyond this loop leads to Ceremonial Cave, a shelter cave produced by erosion of the soft tuff and containing a small, restored kiva that the hiker may enter via ladder.

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. In the upper elevations of the monument, Nordic skiing is possible on a small network of trails reachable from New Mexico highway 502. However, not every winter produces snowfall sufficient to allow good skiing.

Wildlife is locally abundant, and deer 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 and "horned toads" (actually species of lizard) are occasionally seen along the trails.

Bandelier was designated a National Monument on February 11, 1916, and the wilderness area was designated in October 1976. 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.

The national monument is named after anthropologist Adolph Bandelier.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Bandelier National Monument", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki