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Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Jemez Springs Sandoval, Jemez Springs, New Mexico 87025 USA

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“remarkable geology”

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, located 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico (near Cochiti), is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed site that was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001 shortly before leaving office. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan. The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by pyroclastic flow from a volcanic explosion within the Jemez Volcanic Field that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks themselves are cones of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder caprocks, and vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet.[2] The monument is open for day use only and may be closed by order of the Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Governor. A 1.2 mile (1.9 km) recreation trail leads up through a slot canyon to a lookout point where the tent rocks may be viewed from above. A 1.3 mile (2 km) loop trail leads past their base. The park is located on the Pajarito Plateau between 5700 and 6400 feet (1737–1951 m) above sea level. The monument is closed to dogs.

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  • Road Warrior
  • 78 Reviews
  • 183 Helpful
November 19, 2015
Rated 5.0

One of the most beautiful slot canyons we have been in. Make sure you take the slot canyon route and not the "easy loop." Both are very easy hikes, but the canyon route has SPECTACULAR canyon views. We really enjoyed our time here. My only complaint is that there is no water available at the trail head - make sure you fill up before you come.

7 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
deemaddogmurdoch

  • 2 Reviews
  • 5 Helpful
August 03, 2021
Rated 1.0

I’ve been to tent rocks before on several occasions it’s beautiful and I love it… I only gave her one star because they don’t notify the public that it’s closed until you get here… So please be advised save your gas and don’t bother going because they’re closed until further notice due to COVID-19… There will be no tent rocks until further notice apparently the two numbers that I called to make a reservation are not working they give you a speech and say thank you… Extremely disappointing since we drove close to 2000 miles to take in the scenery… So don’t put on your website that it’s open it is not it is currently closed. But once it reopens I can assure you it is absolutely worth the trip. Here’s a phone number if you wanna keep calling and seeing if they’re open or taking reservations today Tuesday, August 3 they were not

505-331-6259

5 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Ady

  • 1 Review
  • 3 Helpful
October 06, 2022
Rated

Still closed until further notice. I'm so glad I checked because I'm planning a road trip in November and this was one of my stops. the voice mail is full but you can call the front office during business hours to speak to someone (505) 761-8700.

3 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
lauriecollier

  • 3 Reviews
  • 3 Helpful
May 15, 2019
Rated

Dogs are not allowed to be anywhere past the gate. They will let them in. I thought I could leave him in my RV, with air on, but even that is not allowed. Drove a long way! Very disappointed!

3 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
LaurenTags

  • 1 Review
  • 2 Helpful
July 30, 2016
Rated 5.0

What an incredible/magical place! Make sure to do the Canyon Trail. The view is well worth the hard hike up. We saw a ton of kids there today, which was surprising. We arrived around 10:30 am...which was not ideal. Go early to beat the heat. I've never sweat so much. We drank through 3 liters of water in two hours. As we left we experienced the craziest hail storm. Glad we made it off the trail right before that happened, because the hail was the size of quarters. I am so happy we found this place! It's truly a gem.

2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
sjostromt

  • 2 Reviews
  • 2 Helpful
March 15, 2014
Rated

The Summit trail is worth the time, and includes an awesome slot canyon!

2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
SF2013

  • 1 Review
  • 2 Helpful
March 05, 2014
Rated

This place was so amazing. Well worth the side trip!!

2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Rick & Sandy

  • 2 Reviews
  • 1 Helpful
May 03, 2023
Rated 1.0

Time for the Bureau to permanently close this site. I’ve been there twice in 2.5 years and it’s still closed, so obviously the indigenous people don’t want it open anymore because, really, still closed due to Covid, give us a break and avoid fruitless travel.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
David Amato

  • 12 Reviews
  • 2 Helpful
June 14, 2018
Rated 5.0

Beautiful place, something to see every step of the way. Once you reach the top the view is amazing! A must!

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Reviewed by
Charles Dobbs

  • 6 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
May 30, 2018
Rated 5.0

Make sure to get here EARLY!!! It will fill up by 9-9:30am and it could be 90 or more minutes before you can get in. Very interesting rock formations created by volcanic activity long ago. Two trails, one that takes you to the cave and the other takes you up the slot canyon. Both are ~1.5 miles, the cave trail is easy and the canyon trail only gets a bit more moderate near the top with incline switchbacks. Please note the Overlook was closed while we were here due to government bureaucracy by not being able to get a rope for the flag pole. Gotta love it. Also, do NOT stop anywhere outside of the park or you will get warned to move along and not take photos or videos and threatened with a $500 fine and vehicle confiscation. Tribal sacred land of course.

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Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Jemez Springs Sandoval
Jemez Springs, New Mexico
87025 USA
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