Bandelier National Monument

  When drought forced the inhabitants of Mesa Verde to move this was one of the places where they settled, close to a small stream that supplied water year round. The cliffs in the area are soft volcanic tuff with crevices carved by wind and water which were farther enlarged to form rooms. More rooms, built of stone blocks, were constructed in front of them using the cliff walls for support. A circular village, containing hundreds of rooms, was built on the flat land of Frijoles Canyon .

  Most of Bandelier NM is not accessible. There are few roads and many miles of trails. Even so it’s  an interesting, unique, and scenic place to visit. The visitor center is accessible plus the short trail to the village ruins is paved. The cliff dwellings are reached by steps and ladders but it’s possible to view the location of some of them from the canyon trail. The canyon trail is bumpy because it’s made with small pebbles set in concrete. An additional section that loops back to the visitor center is sand and pebbles – a little hard to push along but doable. The campground doesn’t have any accessible sites. Most of the paved parking pads are sloped and the tables do not have overhangs. The ground at the sites is packed dirt.

  The park roads are narrow, steep, and winding.Trailers and towed vehicles must be dropped at a lot near the campground turn off. Most of the campground sites are short and sloped but a few are long enough for large RVs.There’s only one parking spot at the visitor center that is long enough for RVs over 30’. During the busy season, late spring to fall, visitors can not drive the park road from 9 AM - 3 PM and must use the free shuttle which leaves from White Rock Information Center. White Rock is about 12 miles away and has a RV park at the Information Center. It’s just a paved lot but has electric hookups and a dump station.  Park
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