Bandelier and Tsankawi Mesa
The Ancestral Puebloan World - Year-round - and a great hike for families
Important notice: Tsankawi will be closed from mid-March to mid-October, 2023. Bandelier remains open.
For centuries, long before the Spanish Entrada, the Rio Grande valley was occupied by families of resourceful farmers and hunters who dwelt in villages on the mesas and cliffs above the river. These Ancestral Puebloan people eventually abandoned their upland homes, leaving behind a fascinating record of their migration in crumbled kivas, lonely cliff dwellings, fragments of pottery, petroglyphs, and a haunting presence in the landscape.
A two-hour looping hike only 35 minutes drive from Santa Fe will take us into this world, at a remarkable place called Tsankawi Mesa.
Tsankawi is part of Bandelier National Monument. It brings together in a small place all the features for which the larger part of the park is famous. The views from the mesa-top ruin are magnificent. And this is a great hike for families. The colorful cliffs, twisting paths, ladders, and caves fascinate the younger ones.
There is a restroom with flush toilets and water at the beginning of the loop.
A note: be aware that there are some 12' ladders and a few steep edges to navigate along the well-maintained NPS trail.
Travel time: 35 minutes On trail: 2 hours
Costs:
Two to four hikers $290 flat fee plus park fees (inclusive of all, not per person)
(Solo hiker $230 flat fee plus $15 park fee)
$75 per person for each additional hiker
Maximum group size is 10 people
Bandelier National Monument charges a $15 per person commercial park fee for those 15 year of age and older. This fee is added to the cost of the hike.
A two-hour looping hike only 35 minutes drive from Santa Fe will take us into this world, at a remarkable place called Tsankawi Mesa.
Tsankawi is part of Bandelier National Monument. It brings together in a small place all the features for which the larger part of the park is famous. The views from the mesa-top ruin are magnificent. And this is a great hike for families. The colorful cliffs, twisting paths, ladders, and caves fascinate the younger ones.
There is a restroom with flush toilets and water at the beginning of the loop.
A note: be aware that there are some 12' ladders and a few steep edges to navigate along the well-maintained NPS trail.
Travel time: 35 minutes On trail: 2 hours
Costs:
Two to four hikers $290 flat fee plus park fees (inclusive of all, not per person)
(Solo hiker $230 flat fee plus $15 park fee)
$75 per person for each additional hiker
Maximum group size is 10 people
Bandelier National Monument charges a $15 per person commercial park fee for those 15 year of age and older. This fee is added to the cost of the hike.
Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier National Monument was established in 1916 to preserve some 3000 archaeological sites scattered over the canyons and mesas of the arid Pajarito Plateau. Frijoles Canyon, the heart of the park, is famous for its Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, some accessible by ladders, along its south-facing cliffs. Many of the most popular sites are easily accessed on well maintained trails, so if you are concerned about mobility, Frijoles Canyon is an ideal choice. In summer and fall, we can enhance your experience by hiking into the canyon along switchbacks built for visitors during the early years of the park's history.
But Bandelier is more than the ancestral home of the Puebloan people. As in all national parks, a deeper experience awaits you just off the beaten path. A network of backcountry trails can take us into the narrow depths of upper Frijoles Canyon, or up and over remote mesa tops to spectacular overlooks of other canyon systems. And everywhere we will be accompanied by the music of the pines, for Bandelier is filled with groves of magnificent Ponderosa trees.
Bandelier National Monument is accessible all year. Summer days are hot, but often abruptly cooled by thunderstorms drifting over from the Jemez Mountains. Winters are mild, but patches of snow linger in shaded places. Spring and Fall are ideal times to visit.
Trails are maintained by the NPS and of only moderate difficulty.
Travel time: 60 minutes On trail: 3-5 hours
Costs:
Two to four hikers $290 flat fee plus park fees (inclusive of all, not per person)
(Solo hiker $230 flat fee plus $15 park fee)
$75 per person for each additional hiker
Maximum group size is 10 people
Bandelier National Monument charges a $15 per person commercial park fee for those 15 year of age and older. This fee is added to the cost of the hike.
But Bandelier is more than the ancestral home of the Puebloan people. As in all national parks, a deeper experience awaits you just off the beaten path. A network of backcountry trails can take us into the narrow depths of upper Frijoles Canyon, or up and over remote mesa tops to spectacular overlooks of other canyon systems. And everywhere we will be accompanied by the music of the pines, for Bandelier is filled with groves of magnificent Ponderosa trees.
Bandelier National Monument is accessible all year. Summer days are hot, but often abruptly cooled by thunderstorms drifting over from the Jemez Mountains. Winters are mild, but patches of snow linger in shaded places. Spring and Fall are ideal times to visit.
Trails are maintained by the NPS and of only moderate difficulty.
Travel time: 60 minutes On trail: 3-5 hours
Costs:
Two to four hikers $290 flat fee plus park fees (inclusive of all, not per person)
(Solo hiker $230 flat fee plus $15 park fee)
$75 per person for each additional hiker
Maximum group size is 10 people
Bandelier National Monument charges a $15 per person commercial park fee for those 15 year of age and older. This fee is added to the cost of the hike.
Fill out our reservation request form for an email response, or call (505) 660-0394 with questions.
