At 2.2-miles round trip, Bandelier National Monument's Tyuonyi Loop Trail hike to Ceremonial Cave is relatively short and one of New Mexico's most rewarding. But it's not just a jaunt in the woods. To reach Ceremonial Cave, visitors must climb 140 feet using four wooden ladders and retrace ancient footpaths worn into soft volcanic tuff, all at an altitude of more than 7,000 feet above sea level. If the climb doesn't take your breath away, the view will. Looking out from the alcove, the gentle arc of the pocked tuff ceiling frames Frijoles Canyon's south rim.
Visitors enjoy a raven's view of towering ponderosa pines below, and the air is noticeably still.
In the foreground, looking like a natural feature itself, is a reconstructed kiva, or underground ceremonial chamber. Life then seems both simpler and more complex by modern comparison. Ceremonial Cave is only reached after climbing 140 feet up four ladders, but the view is well worth it. The alcove was home to between 20 and 30 people during the 14th century. Scientists estimate that at its peak between A.D. 1350 and 1550, Frijoles Canyon on the Pajarito Plateau was home to 1,000 people, a thriving metropolis for the time.