Not for someone that is afraid of heights, someone with small children, or overweight. You have to navigate several obstacles, squeeze in between rocks Take plenty of water as the cliffs are white and reflect a lot of light. Great views. 1.5 miles long.
Indian ruins, hiking and great views of the mesa and hike further to the Rio Grande. The area north about a mile on the right is great climbing, from what I hear and see from the number of cars there on the weekends.
The hike to the extinct pueblo at the top of the Mesa at Tsankawi is arduous, but not terribly difficult, and the views from the top are worth the effort to get there. In order to stay on the trail you must walk in very narrow slots carved into the crumbly tuff by millions of footsteps over centuries of use. You feel that you are connected to the Native Americans who once lived here because you are literally walking in their footsteps. In some places the worn slots in the trail are nearly waist high, so wear long trousers lest you scrape bate legs on the rocks.Most of the trail is not terribly steep, but you need good balance. If you are at all unsteady, I recommend a hiking stick. Be sure to take plenty of water. It is necessary to negotiate four high, but sturdy ladders along the route,You will see petroglyphs and ancient foot and hand holds carved into the rock along the trail. There is usually no Park Ranger on duty here, but there are bathrooms near the beginning of the trail. Usually there are no more than two other people on the trail.
It isn't very often that you get the opportunity to literally walk in the footprints of a Native American. But at Tsankawi you get to. We drove here after our visit at Bandelier, hoping Tsankawi would be as wonderful. We loved the opportunity to climb the mountain, using the same trails that were used for hundreds of years. At the trail head, grab a map that explains everything at various stops. And early in the hike, be sure to take the path up the mountain at the 'Trail Loop' sign. Most people we saw missed the turnoff and missed out on something special.The views from the top were amazing! We also loved seeing the various petroglyphs and working to guess what they symbolized.This is another amazing hike - don't miss it!
Beautiful views add in a bit of robust hiking and that was our trip to Tsankawi. As we were going along the ancestral trail we kept imagine what it must have been like for those who came before us. The trail is very narrow in spots and at points kind of close to the edge. It also involves a bit of getting around some rocks that may be part of the trails wear good hiking shoes. Water and a hat is a must as it can be very hot with few shaded areas. The ladders were fun but watch out when going down the third one. The rungs are pretty far apart and a little hard to traverse for those with shorter legs. This was a wondeful experience and I highly recommend it if you are in the area.
This is a great short hike worthy of a stop. Most impressive is following in the footsteps of the earlier tribal community. The wear of the stone surface depicts centuries of footsteps.
This is s great half day outing from Santa FeEspecially if a warm winter day it is a great hike with our 4 year old amazing view a fun walk around mesas an up an down ladders
45 minute walk past cliff ruins .quieter than the main part of bandelier monument. Beautiful views of distant mountains.
The vista's from the top are fantastic. A fairly easy short hike. A must visit if you have any interest in Native culture & history.
If you have some more time after hiking the main trails at Bandelier, this hike is a nice addition to the day. Much fewer visitors and some great close up views of petroglyphs and centuries-old pottery shards.