Living History at Bandelier National Monument: the Ultimate Field Trip

Now in my 9th year of homeschooling, I can say with certainty that I love field trips of all types. I especially appreciate seeing my kids learn history in an interactive, living way through field trips. Having this happen unexpectedly like it did at Bandelier National Monument is pure gold.

We didn’t plan on visiting Bandelier National Monument in April. In fact, we didn’t even know it existed when our family pulled into Santa Fe, New Mexico, late the evening before. We were in town for one night only, as part of a cross-country trip from Boise, ID, to South Carolina. As we were driving to the hotel, we kept seeing signs for Bandelier. My husband looked it up out of sheer curiosity only because, after all, we had a schedule to keep. We were going all the way to Oklahoma City the next day and couldn’t possibly work in a major stop.

Or could we? We changed our tune almost immediately after finding out what Bandelier was. And the rest, as they say, is history–which is precisely what Bandelier is. Fascinating history from centuries ago that practically springs to life.

So What and Where Is Bandelier National Monument?

Good question! Bandelier is located in Los Alamos, NM (near Santa Fe), and is one of a few places in the Southwest for visitors to experience history from the Middle Ages, before any Europeans showed up on the scene. Bandelier was the home of the Ancestral Pueblo people group for a few hundred years (think 1200-1400s). Their cliff homes are still visible to see today; visitors can even step inside one via a ladder. Ironically, my 8th grader was studying the Middle Ages in his history course. HOW COOL was it to be able to relate some of the key events from his Middle Ages course to cultures existing concurrently in what is now New Mexico.

How Accessible is Bandelier?

Very! I think Bandelier was about 12 miles from our hotel in Santa Fe. Once there, it is super easy for families to spend several hours at the park. The entrance fee is $25/car; however, it is free if you have a 4th grader (like we did) and have this pass:

Once in the park, you drive past Frijoles Canyon on your way to the main walking section of Bandelier. But be sure and stop for a photo op on your way down!

Once you reach the bottom of the canyon, it’s time to explore on foot. We probably spent about 2 hours doing the self-tour of the cliff homes/petroglyphs/kivas, etc. It was a beautiful day in early April; spring is a perfect season to go. I would not want to be there in the heat of summer especially. In spite of the ideal weather and being a weekend day, the crowds were fairly low.

Stops on the Self-Tour

Doing the walking self-tour loop at a leisurely pace was ideal for us. The trail is easily marked with points of interest and historical facts along the way.

A Kiva

During the self-tour, we learned that the area we were walking through in 2021 once was home to a village of approximately 100 Ancestral Pueblo people close to 1,000 years ago. Bandelier holds the remains of a “kiva,” which essentially was the meeting place for the village, used for multiple purposes.

An Apartment House

Some of the villagers would’ve lived in other buildings on the property near the cliffs. The tour includes the foundations of one of these apartment-like buildings.

The Infamous Cliff Homes

The highlight of your self-tour has got to be the cliff dwellings of the people that once called this land home. What a unique way for history to come alive! (Even more if your child is studying the Middle Ages.)

Even better than just seeing the cliff homes (which is enough all on its own) is climbing the ladders to experience the inside of a home–living history at its best. Homeschooling doesn’t often get better than this!

The Petroglyphs

Petroyglyphs never go out of style! We are privileged to have seen petroglyphs on a few of our other travels over the last several years: at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona and Celebration Park in Melba, ID (near Boise). That didn’t make it old hat to see them here at Bandelier. We called it a bonus on an already amazing day.

And Don’t Forget to Simply Enjoy the Trail

While the living history right before your eyes may be the main attraction at Bandelier, the self-tour loop itself is beautiful in its own right. Don’t forget to soak in the beauty of New Mexico all around you while you learn!

Final Thoughts

Ironically, Bandelier was not our first experience with cliff-dwelling homes. Four years prior we had made a family trip to Arizona. A small part of that trip was visiting the incredible Montezuma Castle, another national monument.

I remember leaving in awe at that site, too, my first experience seeing anything like that. While Montezuma is a 10 out of 10 for sure, Bandelier is larger and more interactive as you can actually climb inside one of the homes. My kids were also much younger on our previous Arizona trip, so I’m confident their Bandelier experience will stick with them more.

Bottom line: Bandelier, I think, will rank as one of my all-time favorite field trips. I love learning and teaching my kids about cultures past. And I can’t think of a better and more effective way than to visit sites like these together. So glad we made the detour (and yes, we got to our hotel in Oklahoma City very late!).

If you homeschool, what has been your favorite field trip so far? Please comment below, share this post, and save the pin for later.