Bandelier National Monument

A monument in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico preserving ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and cave rooms carved into the soft volcanic tuff of Frijoles Canyon. The Main Loop Trail passes reconstructed kiva sites and leads to Alcove House, a cavate dwelling 140 feet above the canyon floor reached by four wooden ladders. The monument is a short drive from Los Alamos and lies within the traditional homelands of several modern Pueblo communities. Backcountry trails extend into mesa and canyon terrain.