View of San Miguels from Burro Trail in Bandelier. Courtesy/NPS
View of Rio Grande from Burro Trail in Bandelier. Courtesy/NPS
BANDELIER News:
Often just known as NPLD, National Public Lands Day was established in 1994 and is traditionally known as the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands.
NPLD celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits. Bandelier National Monument and other National Parks that normally charge entrance fees, will be free of charge on Saturday, Sept. 25.
The park store in Frijoles Canyon, operated by Western National Parks Association, will offer a 15 percent discount on all purchases. However, you choose to celebrate your public lands, be sure to RecreateResponsibly!
In addition to free entry for all visitors, Bandelier will be having Wilderness Cleanup Days Sept. 25-26. In honor of National Public Lands Day and National Wilderness Month, park staff and volunteers will be conducting several cleanup projects in Bandelier National Monument’s Wilderness.
The cleanup projects are aimed to help preserve the wilderness character and keep Bandelier’s Wilderness wild.
The projects will involve deconstructing and packing out trash from Bandelier’s wilderness. Due to the nature of the cleanup projects, volunteers should be in a good physical condition, able to hike up to 5 miles a day with a heavy pack and elevation changes.
Volunteers will need to supply their own hiking/camping gear. Volunteers can help Saturday or Sunday or both days if they wish! There also will be an overnight backcountry project going from Saturday to Sunday for those interested.
To volunteer, email Wilderness Ranger Mark Peterson at mark_m_peterson@nps.gov or call 505.672.3861 x1442.
The next and final fee free day for 2021 is Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
For more information, check out: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/public-lands-day.htm
Except on fee free days, park entrance fees are $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, or $15 per bicycle/individual.
All entrance passes are valid for 7 days. Camping fees are not included in entrance fees. America the Beautiful – the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes are accepted for entrance fees.
The full suite of America the Beautiful – the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes as well as Bandelier Annual passes are available for purchase at the visitor center. For more information about types of passes and prices, visit: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm.
Bandelier National Monument is open every day from sunrise to sunset. The visitor center is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; the park store operated by Western National Parks Association is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and the café is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.