Frijoles Canyon. Courtesy/NPS
BANDELIER News:
Starting Friday, July 5, Bandelier National Monument will be offering the popular Nightwalks each week (weather permitting) until the end of August.
“The Nightwalk is a very beautiful, timeless, and unusual experience, walking silently with a ranger in the dark in Frijoles Canyon” Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott said. “We encourage visitors to take the Main Loop Trail in the daytime to learn about the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here, and then come back in the evening to see their homes in a very different way.”
Numbers of participants are limited, so visitors need to call the Visitor Center, 505-672-3861 x 517, for reservations and details. The fee is $6 for adults and $3 for children or for adults with Access or Senior passes. The walk may sometimes have to be cancelled in case of heavy rain, lightning, or safety concerns.
Each Saturday night through the end of August, rangers will offer evening programs at the Juniper Campground Amphitheater. July 7 will be “Explore the Stars”, a multi-media program followed by telescope viewing of constellations and other features of the night sky. July 14 at 8:30 p.m., the program will be “Wild About Bandelier”, featuring extraordinary photos of local wildlife by one of the park rangers. Campers and non-campers are welcome to both these programs, and there is no extra fee.
During the day on weekends through the summer, local Pueblo artists and craftspeople demonstrate their work on the back porch of the Visitor Center. Pottery maker Dolores Toya is scheduled for July 6 and 7, and on July 13 and 14 Sharon Naranjo will also be demonstrating traditional pottery. The Santa Fe Raptor Center is planning to bring their educational birds for visitors to see on July 7 and 21.
Visitors should stop at the White Rock Visitor Center to catch the shuttle to Frijoles Canyon; vehicles can be driven into the park before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. Park information is available by calling the Bandelier Visitor Center at 505-672-3861 x 517. Information about events and ongoing activities is available by visiting the Bandelier National Monument website at www.nps.gov/band or the park Facebook page at BandelierNPS.
