Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument ⋆ Travel Secrets by V

Categories: New Mexico

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Take an imaginary trip to another planet, at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National monument. Above all, this area is worthy of a Sci-Fi movie and it’s probably the reason why they filmed the tv series Earth 2 here. By far, the coolest part of this site Slot Canyon is. Since there are cracks and slots to navigate through that will make you feel pretty small, it’s It’s surreal.

Lots of volcanic eruptions took place here

Tent Rocks are located in the Jemez mountains, the rock formations here were created from the sediments of 6 volcanoes that erupted 6 million years ago. After the eruption pumice, tuff, and ash was left behind creating the Peralta tuff. Overall, this was a highly active volcanic area. A total of 35 eruptive events are recorded in this tuff. Which later eroded with the wind and water, creating beautiful natural formations that resemble cones, teepees or tents. These structures are cones of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder cap rocks. As a matter of fact tent rocks are almost all identical in shape, ranging from a few feet to ninety feet high.

Interesting cave dwellings

There are also a few dwellings carved in the cliff walls that show signs of early civilizations. Since there are no records to date these dwellings, it’s unknown how old they are. Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks were declared a National Monument by Bill Clinton in January 2001 just before he left presidency. The name Kasha Katuwe means White Cliffs in Keresan, the Pueblo language of the area.

Watch out for flash floods

You’ll wander through the path that nature created after millions of years of gradual erosion from wind and water. It’s beautifully carved through the rock, you’ll be able to admire the effects created by wind erosion. However, tent rocks are prone to flash floods that creates further erosion of these beautiful natural structures. As a result,be prepared for flash floods at any time and climb up as high as you can if you are caught in one. Also, don’t visit this site if the weather calls for storms.

Travel Secret

This is a great place to see Apache tears, as they are very common here. Please do not pick them up! This is a religious site for the natives. For those who don’t know what they are; they are small rounded pieces of obsidian that come out of glassy clasts in the tuff of these formations. When water passes through the sediments in this glass, the obsidian turns into gray perlite. If the clasts aren’t completely hydrated, they will leave a drop of obsidian behind. This area is pretty dry, so a lot of obsidian doesn’t get the chance to turn into perlite and a lot of drops are left behind. Since the area surrounding this drop has turned into perlite, it erodes easily exposing obsidian tear drops, better known as Apache tears.
Do not use a GPS to get here, it will lead you to closed roads.
Arrive early if visiting during the summer, it gets very hot. If hiking in the winter, be careful, it can get slippery.

Hours

November 1 – March 10	8:00 am to 5:00 pm
March 11 – October 31	7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Be advised that since this area is controlled the Cochiti and can be closed at any time by Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Governor’s will.

Plan about a half day for the visit. You won’t be able to purchase anything here, bring lots of water, good walking shoes, a hat and a camera. There are picnic tables by the parking space for those who want to bring a lunch.

Trails

There are a few hikes that you can do, they are easy to moderate. Most of the trails are natural trails, there may be wildlife, watch out for snakes. The main one is a 3 mile hike round trip, the first portion of the hike brings you through the cracks and hoodoos. It’s a fairly easy hike. If you decide to ascend to the observatory, it’s a moderate incline as you weave along a path that runs up a cliff. It’s wide enough so that you can stop along the way if you need to. You’ll climb about 750 ft from the start of the trail to the top. It’s worth the climb, the view from above is absolutely amazing.

Directions

Santa Fe take the Cochiti Pueblo Exit 264 off I-25 onto NM 16 instead. Turn right off NM 16 onto NM 22, and follow the signs to Cochiti Pueblo and the National Monument.

Albuquerque, head north on I-25 and take the exit for Santo Domingo/Cochiti Lake Recreation Area (Exit 259) off I-25 onto NM 22. Follow the signs on NM 22 to Cochiti Pueblo and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.

Important Notices

Please don’t use GPS to get here. It will lead you on roads that go through privately owned areas and you will have to turn around. Save yourself some time and follow these directions instead.

Please respect this area and stay on the trails. This is a religious site for local natives. They maintain the trail and keep it clean, they also own a part of the surrounding area.

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Accommodations

There are accommodations all over Santa Fe, New Mexico. Keep in mind that all hotels within the city limits will charge you for valet parking. There are no self parking hotels available. If you want a beautiful, comfortable hotel with lots of freebies within walking distance of all attractions. Book your night at the Drury Plaza Hotel. I loved my stay there, click here to read about it.

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