View of the Rio Grande from the Burro Trail. Courtesy/NPS

NPS News:

Bandelier National Monument will be hosting Wilderness Cleanup Weekend, Sept. 25 and 26 to celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and recognize September as National Wilderness Month.

Park staff and volunteers will be leading several cleanup tasks in the park’s backcountry.

“These projects are aimed to help preserve the wilderness character and keep Bandelier’s wilderness wild,” Acting Superintendent and event organizer Dennis Milligan said.

Volunteers will work with park staff to remove or prepare for removal, old research equipment or debris, from backcountry, wilderness areas.

Opportunities to help include providing logistical support and making day trips to carry out equipment with possible overnight stays for bigger projects. The work taken on will depend on participant interest.   

Due to the nature of the cleanup projects, volunteers should be in a good physical condition, able to hike up to 10 miles a day at various elevations with a heavy pack.

Participants will need to supply their own hiking/camping gear. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Wilderness Ranger, Mark Peterson at 505.672.3861×1442 or mark_m_peterson@nps.gov. Entrance fees will be waived for volunteers on the days they work.  

NPLD is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Established in 1994, it’s held annually on the fourth Saturday in September. This celebration brings out thousands of volunteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country. NPLD is also a fee free day when entrance fees will be waived at national parks and other public lands.   

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 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  9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.