Bandelier National Monument
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Camping and Lodging | Nearby/
Resource
Setting
Bandelier National Monument is located in the transition area between the Chihuahuan and Great Basin deserts of north-central New Mexico. It is situated on the Pajarito Plateau, between the Jemez Mountains on the west and the Rio Grande River on the east.
The Pajarito Plateau was created from volcanic lava and ash flows which erupted from nearby Jemez Volcano, about a million years ago. Bandelier National Monument is located 11 miles south of Los Alamos (where the first atomic bomb was developed in the 1940s) and 48 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Climate
The weather at Bandelier is warm and dry, with rain in early summer months. There is a good chance of snow storms from October through May. Wear comfortable sportswear type clothing in season, with sturdy walking shoes. The elevation in Frijoles Canyon is 6,000 feet and can cause breathing difficulties for some people visiting from lower elevations.
Getting There
By Auto
Visitors traveling North-South on I-25 take second Santa Fe exit (St. Francis) to Routes 84/285 West. Follow signs to Bandelier at every major junction.Public Transportation
There is no public, or regularly scheduled commercial transportation to or in the Monument. Rental cars, commercial airlines, Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses are available at Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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View Video about The Black Widow Spider. The female black widow spider is the most venomous spider in North America, but it seldom causes death to humans, because it only injects a very small amount of poison when it bites. Click here to view video.
The
Bobcat
Despite its pussycat appearance when seen in repose, the bobcat is quite fierce
and is equipped to kill animals as large as deer. However, food habit studies
have shown bobcats subsist on a diet of rabbits, ground squirrels, mice, pocket
gophers and wood rats. Join us as we watch this sleepy bobcat show his teeth.
The Mountain
Lion
The Mountain Lion, also known as the Cougar, Panther or Puma, is the most widely
distributed cat in the Americas. It is unspotted -- tawny-colored above overlaid
with buff below. It has a small head and small, rounded, black-tipped ears. Watch
one in this video.
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