Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

A recent visit to New Mexico made me realize how much I had undervalued what the beautiful state had to offer to a visitor. From a desert near the southern end to snow-capped mountains to the north, there is a vast variety of landscapes one can explore.

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To the west of the charming town of Santa Fe, lies this unusual geographical wonder among the mountains, the Kasha-Katuwe (meaning white cliffs in native pueblo language) tent rocks.

The monument is open to the public and a hike of about 4 miles from start to finish takes you through an amazing trail. You can also do a shorter and easier mile long Cave Loop trail, but the Slot Canyon Trail is the one that really packs the punch.

A first closeup look at the formations from the Cave Loop Trail.

The cave that the trail is named after.

There are portions of this trail that climb gradually and at about the half mile mark, you see the Slot Canyon trail take off.

Erosion and weathering of huge deposits of volcanic rock have resulted in teepee shaped structures or tents. The tents are actually softer pumice and tuff and at the base are tougher caprocks. 
There are hoodoos too, among the tents.

The Slot Canyon Trail starts on a fairly even terrain and then it meanders over rocks, providing some excellent views of the tent rocks.

I had read about petroglyphs in some areas of New Mexico, and hoped I would get to see some. When I walk trails, I do it at my own pace, looking for wildflowers, wildlife, and anything interesting. At one point, when I was admiring a beautiful Juniper, I became aware of a gentleman in khakis and a white shirt, with a hiking hat and camera, standing nearby. 

He watched me admiring the tree and asked- "Did you see that petroglyph"? 

Completely taken by surprise, I mumbled- "What? Where?"

"Right there on that cave wall", he pointed. 

Sure enough, much to my delight, was a drawing, made by some unknown person who lived there hundreds of years ago! 

Not many people knew of the existence of that petroglyph there that day. How fortunate that the gentleman who did know had to cross paths with me at the exact spot where there was one! 

I think it depicts a large snake on the right, and a smaller one on the left, along with some other designs.

I thanked the man for telling me about it, and asked if he knew of more in the area. He said that was the only one at Kasha-Katuwe that he knew about. 

The trail then leads to a narrow passage between the slot canyon. 

For those not fond of small spaces, this portion could pose a challenge. I am sometimes uncomfortable in such places, but this did not bother me.

The path then passes under this boulder, 

and opens up to begin a steep climb up the canyon. It mostly has sand and rocks on the path that you use as stepping stones.
The tent rocks at this point are above eye level.

As you start to climb up, you view the tents at eye level.
Here, for a brief portion of the trail, railroad ties as steps help get you several feet up.

When you get to the top finally, you see the formations way below. At each level, they offer a different and very interesting perspective.

The views from the top are spectacular! Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains in the distance and hoodoos and tent rocks below make the climb up totally worth it!

Another view from the top showing hikers on the trail- it gives you an idea of what you've accomplished. For me, this was a personal challenge. Nobody asked me to do it, and I could have stopped at any point, but I decided to go one step at a time. Though I was slower than some others, I got to the top in good time. It did wonders for my confidence. Until last year, walking and hiking did not pose a challenge, but plantar fascitis and other issues made me not so sure of myself lately. This climb of about 700 feet (per alltrails) was a good endurance test.