Climbing to Alcove House in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

Have you ever climbed the Alcove House in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico?

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I just did it the second time back in June. My first climb to Alcove House Bandelier was ten years ago, but I didn’t take any pictures during the climbing. I had my DSLR camera around my neck and wasn’t feel comfortable stopping in the middle of the ladder to take pictures.

Then my external hard drive went kaput. All the pictures from our trip to Bandelier disappeared. 

So when my son went backpacking in Philmont Scout Ranch for a week, I used the opportunity to go back to Bandelier.

I planned to take pictures of the ladders from the ground only if my mid-50s legs couldn’t make the alcove. Lol.

What is the Alcove House Bandelier?

Alcove is a recess opening off a room or other space enclosed by walls or hedges. 

At Bandelier, the Alcove House (previously known as Ceremonial Cave) was once home to approximately 25 Ancestral Pueblo people.

The location of the Alcove House in Bandelier is 140 feet above the floor of Frijoles Canyon. You can reach it by climbing four wooden ladders and several stone stairs.

There is a reconstructed kiva and the viga holes and niches of former homes in Alcove House.

Is Alcove House Open?

It is the question many people ask. It’s safe to say that they are open in the summertime daily.

However, the ladders, the stone stairs, and even the walkways to the Alcove House can be very icy and dangerous. When snowfall is abundant in winter, the ladders can be closed for many weeks. It will reopen as soon as it is safe to climb it. They will put a sign at the base of the stairs stating it’s closed.

Check at the visitor center for more details.

Climbing the Alcove House in Bandelier National Monument

After check-in at the Bandelier Visitor Center, there are two ways to get to Alcove House:

1. Follow the Main (Pueblo) Loop Trail through archeological sites and cliff dwellings. The trail takes you past the Big Kiva, Tyuonyi, Talus House, and Long House. You can climb into cavates (small human-carved alcoves) and see the Bandelier petroglyphs. It is a 1.4-mile loop, but halfway through, you will turn right and continue another half mile to Alcove House.

2. Go straight to Alcove House. A few yards on Main Loop Trail, turn left to the picnic area. Follow the other half part of the Main Loop Trail to Alcove House for 1.2 miles. The trail is flat until you start to climb.

When you get to the base of the Alcove, there’s a signboard to remind people with health problems or a fear of heights not to attempt the climb. And parents should pay close supervision of their children.

I walked through the archeological sites, where I met a Filipino lady. She thought I was Filipino, but after she heard me talk, she knew I was not. I am originally from Indonesia, so we are neighbors anyway.

She wanted to climb the Alcove House, so I offered to go together. We could take each other pictures, and we both have an iPhone. That way, we could airdrop photos of each other.

Go online to check the Bandelier National Monument Map.

First Ladder to Alcove House

When my new friend saw the ladder, she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to climb to the Alcove House. I convinced her to give it a try because she was already there.

I climbed the wooden ladder first. It has nineteen rung ladders. I found it still easy. My new friend made it, too.

Then we walked on several stone stairs and walkways. There was a metal handrail to hold on on the right side and rocks on the left. The metal handrail was hot because it was in the afternoon, the temperature was in the lower 90s, and no shades after the first ladder.

Second Ladder to Alcove House

When we saw the second ladder, my new friend backed out. She said she could do the climbing but not go down. 

I don’t blame her because the second ladder is the longest one. And I didn’t even try to convince her. 

A boy who came down with his family warned me that the ladder was the hottest compared to the next two. And I proved it to be true.

There are thirty-two rung ladders on this second wooden ladder. It stands at almost 30° angle.

My new friend was kind enough to take my pictures from the bottom of the second ladder until I reached the platform to the third ladder. Then she went to the ground and waited for me under the trees.

Third Ladder to Alcove House

It is the second longest and has twenty-seven rung ladders. 

There’s a small platform at the bottom for you to wait for people coming down from the alcove.

Fourth Ladder to Alcove House

The fourth ladder is the shortest, and it has eight rung ladders.

My new friend said she could do the fourth ladder after she saw my picture. Haha.      

Then I arrived at the Alcove House. There was a couple and a family with three children there. We were the only ones during our visit in 2013. 

The underground kiva was closed, like on my first visit. I wonder whether the park ever opened the kiva in between my visits.

To experience the Kiva house in New Mexico, go to Pecos National Historical Park. It’s about 27 miles drive to the southeast of Santa Fe.

Surprisingly, going down was as fast as going up for me. I didn’t find it hard or scary at all. 

If you are not physically fit or afraid of heights, I don’t recommend you climb to Alcove House.

Enjoy climbing to Alcove House in Bandelier if you have no physical or emotional problems!

How to Get to Bandelier NM

During the summer months, it is mandatory to take the Bandelier shuttle from White Rock Visitor Center in Los Alamos to Frijoles Canyon between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.   

If you want to drive your car, you must visit outside those hours. Anyone with a handicap placard may go directly into Frijoles Canyon Visitor Center. Or if you have a dog in your vehicle.

Shuttles run every 30 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends. The last shuttle leaves the visitor center at 5 p.m. daily. There is no charge for riding the shuttle, but the National Park Service entry fees still apply.

For summer 2023, mandatory shuttle buses run from June 14 to mid-October.

Other than the summer months, visitors can drive their vehicles to Frijoles Canyon. A lot of times, visitors couldn’t find a parking spot. So the park asked visitors to turn around and came back later. The shuttle allows the vicinity to accommodate more people.

Spring Break, between mid-March to mid-April, is the busiest time at Bandelier. Try to visit before 10.30 a.m. or after 2 p.m.

Distance from Santa Fe to Bandelier National Monument: around 44 miles.

Distance from Albuquerque to Bandelier National Monument: around 107 miles. 

Dogs in Bandelier National Monument

Dogs, or pets of any kind, are not allowed in buildings or on trails in Bandelier. 

They are allowed in Juniper Campground, the parking lot in front of the Visitor Center, and the Cottonwood Picnic Area across Frijoles Creek between the “No Dogs Permitted Beyond this Point” signs. 

All pets must be under physical restraint, no more than a 6-foot long leash, while in the park.

If you are traveling with your dog while visiting Bandelier, you must leave it in your car with the following rules:

– try to park in the shade (the Cottonwood picnic area has many spots with shade)

– provide proper ventilation

– provide adequate water

– check on it frequently

We visited Bandelier in the summer of 2019 on our way to The Manhattan Project in Los Alamos. Our dog Snoopy was with us, so we didn’t climb the Alcove House.

On this trip, my husband stayed in the car with Snoopy.

Dogs are not allowed on the shuttle bus from White Rock that runs in the summer.

Service dogs are allowed everywhere their owners go but can be asked to leave if they become a nuisance or soil the trails.

Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Bandelier National Monument Facts

– The Ancestral Pueblo People lived here from approximately 1150 CE to 1550 CE.

– They built homes carved from the volcanic tuff and planted crops in mesa top fields.

– By 1550, the Ancestral Pueblo People had moved from this area to pueblos along the Rio Grande. The land here could no longer support the people and there was a severe drought.

– Bandelier is open daily, year-round, from dawn to dusk except Christmas Day and during heavy snow days or other emergencies.

– The name Bandelier came from Adolph Francis Bandelier, a Swiss-born scholar who made scientific reports of the Pueblo people.

– President Woodrow Wilson established the area as a national monument and named it after him.  

– Bandelier National Monument elevation ranges from 5340 ft. at the Rio Grande to the south and 10199 ft. at the summit of Cerro Grande to the north.

– Within Bandelier’s 33,000 acres there are over 70 miles of Bandelier trails.

– Frijoles Canyon Lodge was first built in 1907. It was closed in the late 1980s.  

Where to Eat When Visiting Bandelier NM

If you are visiting around lunch hour, there is Sirphey Restaurant near the park visitor center at the canyon. It is a full-service restaurant, open from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. daily. Their menus include green chili cheeseburgers, salads, and breakfast burritos. I haven’t eaten there, but my new friend enjoyed their green chili cheeseburger.

We got to White Rock Visitor Center around noon. Before we drove down to the canyon, we had lunch at Pig + Fig Cafe across the street. If you go here, try their Sweet & Spicy Brussel Sprouts, The Steak Melt, and Pesto Grilled Chicken. They were delicious!

They have a patio where we could sit with our dog Snoopy.

Another restaurant in the area is El Rigoberto’s Tacos.

I hope this guide on climbing to Alcove House Bandelier will help you in making a decision whether to climb or not. It’s a fun climb if you have no health problems and are not afraid of heights.