Take one of the steep trails along the canyon walls or stay down in the canyon, either way the intrepid explorer will quickly find solitude among the towering Jemez Mountains and the colorful Rio Grande valley. Traversing between 5000 and 10,000 feet the 70 miles of Bandelier backcountry trails present a tremendously diverse wilderness experience with bountiful wildlife and flora ranging from cottonwood to yucca to ponderosa pine. For anyone interested in contrasting the mysteriously ancient and the secretive modern, all you have to do is drive a few miles through the mountain range and make a stop in at Los Alamos. Driving through the town one could easily mistake it for any of the smaller, newer villages gracing northern New Mexico. However, for the vigilant there are tell-tale signs that this place is different.
Ominous signs warn against trespassing onto government property.
Fences block access to strange buildings. And finally, a museum explains it all-you are in the birthplace of the atomic bomb. Work Outdoors at GORP Jobs Click Here. All rights reserved.