My favorite New Mexico hike with kids — or without — is in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.
Tent Rocks mixes all the best things about New Mexico into one hike — unique scenery, history, and adventure.
It’s called “Tent Rocks” for the stunning cone-shaped rocks that watch over the canyon.
The region has been sacred to the Ancestral Puebloan people and their descendants for thousands of years. Please, treat it with immense respect.
My favorite trail in the monument, the Slot Canyon Trail, slips over rocks, between canyon walls, and below the tent rocks. You climb up to the top of a mesa with stunning views of the formations, valley, and mountains in the distance.
After you journey back down, walk the short side trail, the Cave Loop, to see a small human-formed cave in the rocks.
Without a doubt, visiting Tent Rocks with kids is an amazing adventure. But it also requires advance planning.
The monument is on tribal land and you’ll need a Cochiti Pueblo Access Pass to enter. You’ll also need timed entry reservation, which can be booked online. You can pay for your reservation with a National Parks interagency pass (like an America the Beautiful pass) or by paying a fee. Also, visitors follow a pilot car from the visitor center to the trailheads.
I wrote a whole post on exploring Tent Rocks with kids for ABQ Mom. For all the details, read about hiking Tent Rocks with kids here.
Are you planning more New Mexico adventures with kids?
Check out my posts on more amazing New Mexico adventures and to other National Parks sites around the state.
Leave a Reply