Top 5 Caves 산타클라라 산맥

The cavetes are located just below the ancient central village plaza in the cliff bands that make up the mesa. These cavates (human excavated cavities) were places where people could take shelter from the elements; the thick stone walls provided insulation from both the cold of winter and heat of summer. Talus pueblos were also most-likely constructed in front of the entrance to the cavates to further protect people from wind, rain, snow, and perhaps most importantly in the desert, heat. Please only enter cavetes that are immediately adjacent to the trail - the other cavets are dangerous to access.

Cave Loop Trail brings hikers through Kasha-Katuwe Monument’s unique tent-shaped hoodoo rock formations and past caves in the rock walls as well. Some of the rock formations are fragile, so it is important to stay on the trail and not touch any rock formations.

Painted Cave is an archaeological site with Ancestral Puebloan Pictographs. The paintings are made from well-preserved red paint and depict people, animals, buildings, and celestial images. Runners can either begin at the Dome Trailhead just outside Bandelier National Monument or begin at the monument's Visitor Center. The Dome Trailhead is closed from January through mid-April.

This alcove is located 140 feet above the floor of Frijoles Canyon and once housed 25 Ancestral Pueblo people. The Alcove House is now accessed by a series of wooden ladders.

The cavetes are located just below the ancient central village plaza in the cliff bands that make up the mesa. These cavates (human excavated cavities) were places where people could take shelter from the elements; the thick stone walls provided insulation from both the cold of winter and heat of summer. Talus pueblos were also most-likely constructed in front of the entrance to the cavates to further protect people from wind, rain, snow, and perhaps most importantly in the desert, heat. Please only enter cavetes that are immediately adjacent to the trail - the other cavets are dangerous to access.

Cave Loop Trail brings hikers through Kasha-Katuwe Monument’s unique tent-shaped hoodoo rock formations and past caves in the rock walls as well. Some of the rock formations are fragile, so it is important to stay on the trail and not touch any rock formations.

This alcove is located 140 feet above the floor of Frijoles Canyon and once housed 25 Ancestral Pueblo people. The Alcove House is now accessed by a series of wooden ladders.

Bandelier National Monument was designated as a natural monument in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson to preserve the homes and territory of the Ancestral Puebloans. Most of the pueblo structures in the monument date back to between 1150 and 1600 AD.