Tyuonyi Pueblo in Frijoles Canyon, Bandelier National Monument. Courtesy/NPS

BANDELIER News:

The Fourth of July weekend promises to be a lot of fun at Bandelier National Monument, with activities of all kinds. 

It all begins Thursday, when the Candelaria family from San Felipe Pueblo will be demonstrating traditional pottery making behind the Visitor Center, and there also will be solarscope and binocular viewing in that area. A Night Sky Program at the Juniper Campground amphitheater opens with an astronomy talk at 8:30 followed celestial viewing with giant telescopes.

Friday, the Candelarias will again be demonstrating pottery behind the Visitor Center, and that evening is the first Night Walk of this summer. This is a silent walk among the Pueblo sites in Frijoles Canyon in the dark, evoking a feeling of what life might have been like there for the Ancestral Pueblo people. Space is limited, so signups are required; call the Visitor Center at 505.672.3861 x 517. Nightwalks will be offered Friday nights throughout July and August.

At Bandelier’s new NPS neighbor, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in downtown Los Alamos, Friday also will be the first of daily ranger talks on the Manhattan Project. They will meet at 1:30 p.m. at the temporary History Museum on 20th Street by Ashley Pond Park.

During the day Saturday and Sunday, the Lovatos from Santo Domingo Pueblo will be demonstrating the making of jewelry and turkey feather blankets. Saturday evening there will be a ranger talk, “Wild About Bandelier”, at Juniper Campground Amphitheater.

Monday morning, Independence Day, July 4, the park will be hosting the annual Naturalization Ceremony, and this year there will be 20 candidates receiving their American Citizenship. The ceremony includes local Scouts as the Colorguard and refreshments by the Rotary Club of Los Alamos.

There is no charge for any of these activities beyond the usual park entrance fee. Visitors arriving at the Visitor Center before 9 a.m. or after 3 p.m. may drive down to park in the canyon, but otherwise most visitors must take the shuttle bus either from the White Rock Visitor Center or Juniper Campground. The shuttles are also free. 

For more information, or to sign up for the Nightwalk, contact the Bandelier Visitor Center at 505.672.3861 x 517. The park also has a website at www.nps.gov/band, and a Facebook page at BandelierNPS.