Tsankawi Village
1.5 Miles Roundtrip Loop
Great Moderate Hike Requiring The Use Of Steep Ladders
The Tsankawi Village Trail (1.5 miles roundtrip) is an awesome and fun loop trail on the top of a finger mesa near (but is still technically part of) Bandelier National Monument on what is known as the Parajito Plateau, next to the Jemez Mountains. The hike involves some ladder climbing (up and down) and cliffside walking so if you’re afraid of heights you’ve been warned. But it’s so much fun and has great views and you’ll have the opportunity to crawl around in 600 year old homes that were carved from the volcanic tuff. Some of the dwellings are filled with black soot from smoke and others have carvings and paintings still visible in them. Make sure you treat the site with respect while exploring and enjoying the awesome area.
It’s a little tricky to know where it’s at but once you learn the way, it’s unforgettable. From the 502 heading west you’ll want to get off on New Mexico State Road 4 and head south towards White Rock. Almost immediately at the top of the mesa before Jemez Road and the light, you’ll park on the left (East) side of the road where there are most likely other cars parked. You’re there!
Occasionally you’ll notice that you’re walking in the same carved pathway that the ancients built for themselves out of the easily carved volcanic tuff that spewed out of the Valles Caldera eons ago. And where the ladders are now are probably where they were then as well.
The views on top of the mesa are awesome with the Jamez Mountains behind you to the west, the Sangre De Christo in front of you to the east, the Sandia Mountains to the south, and the canyons all around.
On top of the mesa you’ll walk by a few crumbling and unreconstructed sites that don’t quite show the whole story. This is the Tsankawi village and it had 275 ground floor rooms but it was mostly two stories.
But then once you’ve climbed down the ladder you’ll get to enjoy the manmade caves or cavates. Down in the canyon there used to be a stream that always flowed but has since disappeared. With that stream the people of Tsankawi planted the Southwestern trifecta of corns, beans, and squash.
Also be on the lookout for all of the amazing petroglyphs that dot the site and canyon walls.
