Visiting Bandelier with kids is an absolute blast!
Bandelier National Monument is in Northern New Mexico, less than two hours from Albuquerque and less than an hour from Santa Fe.
Bandelier is one of my top spots in New Mexico to bring visitors, especially during fall when the beautiful leaves turn golden.
There is rich history, beautiful scenery, and lovely trails. Bandelier has it all!
The monument protects human-carved dwellings in the rocks, petroglyphs, and ancestral sites from the early days of the Ancestral Puebloan culture. Humans have lived in this area for more than 11,000 years, and the culture lives on in many of New Mexico’s present Pueblos.
Here are all my favorite things to do in Bandelier with kids.
Hike the Pueblo Loop Trail in Bandelier with kids
The Pueblo Loop Trail is the main — and best — hike in Bandelier with kids.
The trail is 1.5 miles and easy, but it’s known for its cavate!
Cavates are small human-carved alcoves in the cliffs that the Ancestral Puebloan people used for storage, grinding corn, weaving, and living quarters.
Visitors can climb up a small ladder into a caveat about halfway through the Pueblo Loop! (See the photo at the top.)
The trail leads from the visitor center past several of the main archaeological sites in Bandelier, including the Big Kiva (a circular ceremonial room), Tyuonyi, and more.
Signs along the trail help you imagine what life would’ve been like in the Tyuonyi pueblo.
Continue out of the pueblo and head to the cavates.
Fair warning, there is typically a long wait to climb the ladder and enter the cavate during busy seasons, especially during Balloon Fiesta week in nearby Albuquerque.
After peeking into a cavate or two, begin the walk back down.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the holes in the canyon wall on your right! This is what remains of Long House, where numerous stone structures once stood. The holes in the wall are where wooden beams once sat to support roofs.
Climb ladders up the cliffside to Alcove House
About halfway through the Pueblo Loop trail is an offshoot to the Alcove House.
The side trail adds another mile to your trip, but it looks amazing!
The trail leads to a site located 140 feet up the cliff. You access Alcove House via four tallll wooden ladders and several stairs.
The Alcove House ladders were closed for repairs when we visited Bandelier, so we didn’t get to hike to it before we moved out of New Mexico.
But the next time we’re back in the Land of Enchantment, we’ll definitely hike the Alcove House Trail! It looks like a blast!
Become a Junior Ranger in Bandelier with kids
You can’t visit Bandelier with kids without swearing in as Junior Rangers!
Pick up a free Junior Ranger activity book at the visitor center. Complete the activities, and then turn it in for a badge!
Navigating crowds at Bandelier
To help with overcrowding and parking, Bandelier has a shuttle from mid-March through mid-October.
The shuttle runs from the campground to the visitor center, where the main trails start.
We have only visited Bandelier outside of shuttle season, and parking was still very tight. I highly recommend getting to Bandelier right when the monument opens in the morning. (Check hours online.)
Be sure to check the park website for conditions before visiting too. Weather can be unpredictable in the mountains of New Mexico, and ice, snow, or wildfires will close trails and the ladders you’re hoping to scale.
Are you planning more New Mexico adventures with kids?
Bandelier is one of many sites in New Mexico and the Southwest that honors and protects Ancestral Puebloan history.
Some of my other favorites in this Four Corners region are:
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park
- El Morro National Monument
- Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
- Petroglyph National Monument.
Plus, check out my posts on more amazing New Mexico adventures and trips to other National Parks sites around the state.
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