This is the second post in a 4 part series about a recent trip we took to New Mexico in our adventure van. The first post can be found here.
I’ve got a thing for cliff dwellings. Always have. Mesa Verde has been on my list of places to see since I moved to Colorado over a decade ago. It’s a long drive though, and we haven’t made it there. Knowing this, Jordan added Bandelier National Monument to our itinerary for this trip. “Experts say it’s better than Mesa Verde,” he said. “More authentic.” Whether or not these “experts” truly exist remain to be seen, but the man says he read a book about it, so I’ll take him for his word.
We careened into Bandelier National Monument Friday afternoon. We plunked ourselves down in a spot in the Juniper Family Campground, and I went out for a “30 minute run.” I returned over an hour later. I didn’t get lost, I just couldn’t turn around. I’ve run in some cool places, but never before had I climbed into a cliff dwelling on a run. That evening I ran past dozens of dwellings, ruins, and even petroglyphs. The trails were smooth, the air crisp, and the run completely enjoyable, which isn’t always the case for me lately.
Climbing up into a cliff dwelling on a run in Bandelier.
When I eventually made my way back to the campsite, Jordan had gone out for his run, and the kids were happily playing on their own.
Just kidding.
Showing off his skills at the campsite – not actually riding, just sitting and balancing.
Jordan’s mom and brother had arrived, and were setting up their tents with the tremendous help of Alistair and Jurgen. I got to work in the kitchen, making pasta and red sauce, which aside from taking a million years to boil, turned out pretty good. There was/is a fire ban in New Mexico due to a severe drought, so no campfires. Without the ability to roast marshmallows, Alistair struggled to understand the point of camping (that makes two of us, kid), but was happy to indulge in the uncooked variety each night.
The path is fairly short, but the drop into the canyon is long indeed.
Jordan took the helm in the galley in the morning – whipping up steel cut oats topped with peanut butter and blueberries. We’re big believers in the power of the iron skillet, it somehow makes everything taste better.
Once fortified, we took the shuttle (required, unless you hike in) into the canyon and did the mile hike past the most popular ruins. Things got interesting about 1/2 mile in when we heard an eery rattle, then saw its owner – a big, tightly coiled rattlesnake, perched on a large rock just to the side of the trail – the main trail – teeming with tourists in fresh white tennis shoes and with cameras around their necks. Tourists who had no idea the damage a rattlesnake can inflict. We froze, then hurried by the snake – arching out far and wide, giving him his space. Later, we saw two rangers toting a cooler and a long hooked-stick, heading out to relocate the slithery beast.
Our explorer.
Bandelier lets you get right up into the cliff dwellings, encouraging tourists with sturdy, authentic-looking, ladders. Alistair impressed us, climbing straight up one of them, about 8 feet high, without hesitation. It is a bit Disney-fied though – they restore these dwellings every few years, and the floors were clearly cement. It was still cool, and nice that this hopefully means that elsewhere other ruins remain undisturbed as these serve as a sort of decoy.
Looking down into the canyon valley and ruins.
That evening, while Carrie watched the boys, Jordan and I ran down into the canyon and climbed up into the Alcove House – a big, multi-room dwelling 140 feet above the canyon floor. They have a series of stairs and ladders to get the touros up there and it wasn’t extreme by any measure, but fun to see and make the climb up. The way home was a slog for me: zig-zagging back up the side of the canyon and across the endless 1/2 mile expanse of high desert back to the campsite. When I returned, I was the definition of bedraggled, shoving some crackers and cheese into my gob before turning in for the night – snuggled up in the van with Jurgs after the sun had barely set.
Climbing up to Alcove House.
Inside Alcove House.
I have a tendency to fall while trail running. A lot. I managed to not fall while running at Bandelier, so these trails will forever have a special place in my heart.
Bandelier was an easy destination with the kids. We didn’t access any of the more rugged, backcountry trails, but the touristy main trail was really easy with kids and Alistair loved climbing the ladders. Visiting a place known for cliffs seems like a scary move with little ones, but it was easy to avoid any extreme terrain – nothing ever felt unsafe. The campground was clean and had newish bathrooms (with flushing toilets!), the value of which can never be overstated. We give it 8 thumbs up (2 thumbs for each of us).
If you can’t get enough of reading about Bandelier, and you dig trail running, Jordan wrote an entire post about trail running in Bandelier National Monument.
Up next: Santa Fe
