Bandelier preserves one of the most accessible concentrations of Ancestral Pueblo architecture in the American Southwest. The main loop trail from the visitor centre runs through Frijoles Canyon, passing dozens of cave rooms carved into the soft volcanic tuff — the inhabitants hollowed out the rock and built wooden-beamed structures against it. The round kivas, where religious ceremonies were held, are still visible in the canyon floor.
The highlight is the climb up wooden ladders to the Alcove House, a natural recess in the cliff face about 40 metres above the canyon floor that holds the remains of a large kiva and the postholes for a once-substantial structure. The ladders are steep and the drop-off is real — not for young children or those uncomfortable with heights. The canyon is beautiful regardless: ponderosa pines, a stream running through, and canyon walls that change colour through the day.
Bandelier is about 13 miles south of Los Alamos. In summer a shuttle bus runs from White Rock to the visitor centre, since the parking lot fills early. The visitor centre has good background exhibits on Pueblo culture and the ecology of the plateau.