Epic Travel → North America → Mountain States → New Mexico → Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Location: West of Santa Fe, New Mexico

Distance: ~4 miles total, if you combine the Canyon Trail (3 miles round-trip on its own) with the Cave Loop Trail (1.2 miles total on its own)

Elevation Gain: 630 feet if you climb to the top of the mesa; otherwise very little

Time Required:  1.5 – 2 hours

Red Tape/Notes: Entrance fee is $5 per vehicle and the park is open to visitors from 8am – 4pm daily (with the exception of various days for cultural observances and maintenance – check the BLM website for additional info). Parking is limited, and you should therefore go early (before 9am) during the summer, when visitation is heaviest, to avoid entrance delays (wait times may be up to 90 minutes). Also, there is NO WATER in the park, so bring your own.

What’s Nearby?: Montezuma Hot Springs, Dwan Light Sanctuary

This small park showcases fascinating tent-shaped hoodoos resulting from volcanic eruptions 6  to 7 million years ago. The Jemez volcanic field spewed tons of ash, pumice, and tuff, creating a layer a thousand feet thick that eroded over time. But here and there, boulders were present in the layer, and these boulders protected the softer pumice and tuff below from the elements, leading to the tent-shaped formations (some of which are 90 feet tall) we see today. Some formations which have lost their cap rocks have now started to erode and others are continuing to emerge from the rock in the area. The park has two connecting trails which provide views of the tent rocks and geology of the area, including a trek through a narrow canyon to a route up to the top of the mesa with beautiful views of the area’s mountains and the Rio Grande Valley.

Epic Travel → North America → Mountain States → New Mexico → Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument