Bandelier National Monument ⓘ

Throughout the history of the National Park Service (NPS), there have been individuals that stepped up and helped direct its course. Frank "Boss" Pinkley—who became the first NPS superintendent of Bandelier in 1932—was one of those people. Born in 1881, Pinkley had a case of tuberculosis at the age of 19. His doctor told him to go to Arizona for six months to recover, this became the start of a 40-year career in parks. One year after arriving in Arizona, Frank took his first NPS job as caretaker of Casa Grande Ruins. He would eventually become the superintendent of the Southwest National Monuments, a collection of 27 monuments across Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. It was here that Pinkley was called "The Boss," a nickname he gladly adopted and used. While grand, larger parks like Yellowstone and Grand Canyon attracted the crowds, Pinkley believed that these small parks had so much more to offer people, with their culture and less-told histories. On February 25th 1932, Bandelier National Monument was transferred to the NPS, and to Frank’s supervision. Pinkley hoped that Bandelier’s sites would inspire people to also visit many of the other incredible places in the area—but first he had to find a way to get visitors down into Frijoles Canyon. He got a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp established at Bandelier in 1933, and over the next decade, they built the main road coming into the park, as well many of the buildings and trails. Frank "Boss" Pinkley died in 1940 while holding the first Southwestern National Monument custodial conference. During his opening speech, he thanked those that protected and promoted the monuments. He then sat back down in his chair and died of a massive heart attack. The last words he said were, “May we leave this meeting three days hence with a bigger and broader comprehension of our work and a fixed determination to do it better this next year than it has ever been done before." Always looking to improve things, all the way up to his last breath.

Bandelier National Monument sits at the southern end of the Pajarito (Spanish for little bird) Plateau. The plateau was formed by two eruptions 1.6 and 1.4 million years ago. Home to the Bandelier Wilderness , Bandelier ranges from 5340 ft at the Rio Grande to the south and 10199 ft at the summit of Cerro Grande to the north, almost a mile of elevation change in just under 12 miles. This elevation gradient creates a unique diversity of habitats specific to Northern New Mexico. The diversity of habitats and quick access to water supported a relatively large population of Ancestral Pueblo people. Currently, Piñon-Juniper woodlands dominate in the southern parts of the park transitioning through ponderosa pine savannahs and forests finally reaching mixed conifer forests at the highest elevation. Scattered throughout the park are desert grasslands, montane meadows, and riparian areas in the canyon bottoms. Bandelier is home to a wide variety of wildlife. The backcountry trails at Bandelier climb in and out of deep canyons and cross large flat mesas, showcasing the entire spectrum of volcanic geology.

Even though Bandelier is modest in size when compared to the flagship national parks, scientists here are working hard to have the same output as some of the largest parks. Cultural Science research has been done in Bandelier for more than a century starting the writings of Adolph Bandelier, and in recent decades natural science research has gained equal footing.

A portion of the ecological research done at Bandelier comes from the Western Mountain Initiative. The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI), part of the USGS Global Change research program, seeks to understand and predict the responses of mountain ecosystems to climate variability and accordingly shape land management strategies. The USGS Jemez Mountain Field Station at Bandelier plays an active role in gathering and analyzing data to further understand the complex responses of mountain ecosystems to climate changes.

The USGS and the Park Service combine efforts at Bandelier to form the Ecology Group. This group has developed large, regional-scale networks of long-term ecological monitoring and global change research. This research has promoted cross-boundary collaborations with numerous federal, state, local and non-profit public institutions working toward integration of science with resource management. Ultimately leading to a place-based approach where scientists interact on-site with managers on a regular basis, providing effective communication, application and follow-through on relevant management issues.

Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network (SCPN) monitors birds via point counts in places where plant communities are also monitored. This monitoring allows scientists to track bird numbers, diversity, and habitat relationships. However, point count monitoring is less able to identify reasons for observed changes in bird diversity or abundance. The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship program (MAPS) is complementary in that regard. It collects demographic data such as bird reproduction and survival rates. Such information helps managers understand what might be causing population trends detected by point count monitoring.In 2010, Bandelier National Monument (NM) and Mesa Verde National Park (NP) implemented MAPS programs. Bandelier NM installed three MAPS stations in mixed conifer forests and Mesa Verde NP installed three in pinyon-juniper woodlands. Their goal was to detect changes in bird demographics and examine how climate conditions relate to the survival of recently fledged birds . Bandelier added a fourth MAPS station in 2017 in lower elevation mixed conifer forests. The project also has an educational component. Bandelier NM has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Nature Conservancy and the Pajarito Environmental Education Center to recruit interns from Mexico and Spanish speaking Latin America. The interns are housed at the park and undergo training in bird banding and identification. They then assist in the operation of the MAPS stations and in delivering educational programs about migratory birds for local school children in grades 4-8.

Demographic information is critical for determining the health of bird populations. To collect this information, monitoring efforts need to focus on measuring life-history, or vital rates, such as the number of adults that survive each year, the number of young produced per adult each year, the probability of a young bird surviving to its first breeding season, and the probability that a surviving adult will return to the same site to breed the next year.These vital rates are important because they:

The MAPS program was developed by the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) and first implemented in 1989. A cooperative project involving public agencies, private organizations and volunteers, it has involved more than 1200 sites across the U.S. and has three tiers of objectives: monitoring, research, and management.

Be sure to keep a clean campsite to avoid attracting wildlife scavengers. Remember, fed wildlife is dead wildlife. Sally King/NPS Photo There are several ways to camp at Bandelier that can accommodate different types of campers and groups of all sizes. This makes Bandelier the perfect "base camp" for exploring the park and the Pajarito Plateau. For more information click on your choice of camping options below.

Juniper Family Campground – Individual Campsites : Fifty-three (53) individual sites can accommodate up to 10 campers and are perfect for trailers, RVs, or tent/car camping. Some sites have driveways that can fit RVs up to 40ft. Most campsites are reservable up to 6 months in advance with the rest being available for day of campers as first-come, first-serve. Juniper Family Campground – Group Campsites: Two (2) group campsites can accommodate groups of 10-20 people each. Available by advance reservation only.

For more information click on your choice of camping options below. Juniper Family Campground – Individual Campsites : Fifty-three (53) individual sites can accommodate up to 10 campers and are perfect for trailers, RVs, or tent/car camping. Some sites have driveways that can fit RVs up to 40ft. Most campsites are reservable up to 6 months in advance with the rest being available for day of campers as first-come, first-serve.

Juniper Family Campground – Group Campsites: Two (2) group campsites can accommodate groups of 10-20 people each. Available by advance reservation only. Ponderosa Group Campground : Two (2) group campsites can accommodate groups of 10-50 people each. Available by advance reservation only. Backpacking : Explore the rugged Bandelier wilderness. Over 70 miles of hiking trails await! Nearest backcountry camping zone is located 2 miles from park visitor center. Permits are required.

Wooden ladders allow access to some of the cavates on the Main (Pueblo) Loop Trail. Photo by Sally King The Pueblo Loop Trail is a 1.4 mile loop trail (thanks to log crossings) through archeological sites. Most visitors spend between 45 minutes and one hour on this trail. Ladders along the trail allow visitors to climb into cavates (small human-carved alcoves). The Main Pueblo Loop Trail takes you past the Big Kiva , Tyuonyi , Talus House , and Long House . Pick up a $3 trail guide at the Park Store to learn more about the sites along the trail through descriptions of 21 numbered stops. The first section of this trail is flatter and may be travelled by wheelchairs and strollers; however, some areas exceed accessibility standards and some areas contain stairs/dropoffs. In winter, this is the only trail on which the snow is removed.

A view of the village of Tyuonyi and Talus House. Photo by Sally King WINTER AND OTHER CLOSURES The morning after a winter snow this trail may be closed for a few hours while staff remove the snow from the trail. A trail closure will be indicated by a sign at the start of the trail. Please obey closure signs. Walking on the snowy trail leaves dangerous ice that can remain for months. Check at the visitor center for details.

Don't forget to pick up a trail guide at the park store for $3. They provide valuable information about trail highlights. Photo by Sally King

Due to stairs (and some fun ladders) a baby backpack or frontpack works better on this trail than a stroller. Photo by Sally King