Last week, I got to visit Bandelier National Monument and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, both near Santa Fe, which have some nice short hikes suitable even for inexperienced barefoot hikers like me.
At Bandolier, the main trail and alcove trail are mostly shaded sand; very nice. The heavy-use parts of the main trail are paved with concrete using pebbly aggregate, making the unpaved parts smoother than the paved ones. There are several ladders on these trails, made of smooth poles, on which feet provide better grip than shoes. The falls trail starts out as sand but, having less shade, it gets hot quick and the last quarter mile is sharp basalt; better bring some kind of footwear for this route. In the upper part of the park, there are several nice forest trails; very soft. We did not get to hike the Cerro Grande trail due to storms but from the trailhead it looked barefoot-able. The Tsankawi trail is all sand and bare rock but get there early as there is no shade. The rock is fine but the sand gets hot really fast. The staff at the visitors center doesn't seem to mind bare feet in the center or on the trail. On one of our short hikes in the canyon, I passed a staff member who said "That's the way to do it!" I have to agree.
The trails at Tent Rocks are mostly sand. A little scrambling is required in the slot canyon but nothing difficult. This little park offers spectacular views of unusual rock formations. Tent Rocks is adjacent to Cochiti Pueblo and we were lucky enough to visit on Cochiti's feast day.
Most of the trails in these parks are on arid land. Cactus and other thorny things are present but are less common that I expected. Even so, bare feet should stay on the trails. Many of the trails are in archeologically sensitive areas where getting off the trail isn't allowed. Some are in steep terrain where getting off the trail would be foolhardy. There are several longer trails in Bandelier and in the surrounding Jemez Mountains. I hope to get back soon and give them a try.
Photo is from Tent Rocks.
At Bandolier, the main trail and alcove trail are mostly shaded sand; very nice. The heavy-use parts of the main trail are paved with concrete using pebbly aggregate, making the unpaved parts smoother than the paved ones. There are several ladders on these trails, made of smooth poles, on which feet provide better grip than shoes. The falls trail starts out as sand but, having less shade, it gets hot quick and the last quarter mile is sharp basalt; better bring some kind of footwear for this route. In the upper part of the park, there are several nice forest trails; very soft. We did not get to hike the Cerro Grande trail due to storms but from the trailhead it looked barefoot-able. The Tsankawi trail is all sand and bare rock but get there early as there is no shade. The rock is fine but the sand gets hot really fast. The staff at the visitors center doesn't seem to mind bare feet in the center or on the trail. On one of our short hikes in the canyon, I passed a staff member who said "That's the way to do it!" I have to agree.
The trails at Tent Rocks are mostly sand. A little scrambling is required in the slot canyon but nothing difficult. This little park offers spectacular views of unusual rock formations. Tent Rocks is adjacent to Cochiti Pueblo and we were lucky enough to visit on Cochiti's feast day.
Most of the trails in these parks are on arid land. Cactus and other thorny things are present but are less common that I expected. Even so, bare feet should stay on the trails. Many of the trails are in archeologically sensitive areas where getting off the trail isn't allowed. Some are in steep terrain where getting off the trail would be foolhardy. There are several longer trails in Bandelier and in the surrounding Jemez Mountains. I hope to get back soon and give them a try.
Photo is from Tent Rocks.
