Bandelier National Monument is a national park about an hour’s drive northwest of Santa Fe with over 33,000 acres of land, including canyons, mesas and archeological sites of Ancestral Pueblo dwellings. Visiting Frijoles Canyon and following the Main Loop Trail combines hiking and exploration of the Ancestral Pueblo sites, including the circular pueblo site, Tyuonyi, with over 200 rooms and kivas (ceremonial structures) excavated, as well as cliff dwellings. Along the trail, it’s fun to try to decipher the petroglyphs along the walls of the canyon. Climbing up ladders to some of the cliff dwellings, seeing how these people lived and the space they inhabited, was a truly invigorating experience. An additional half-mile hike will lead you to the Alcove House, a shelter 140 feet above ground that can be reached by climbing four ladders. Whatever the Ancestral Puebloans were hiding from, they must have been successful, but what if you were afraid of heights?! Bandelier is a worthwhile journey to get a glimpse of history and the beautiful New Mexican landscape.