Los Alamos Reporter

Bandelier’s Tsankawi Unit To Close Temporarily April 3 Until Late October

Bandelier’s Tsankawi Unit will temporarily close on April 3, 2023 due to extensive construction work. Photo Courtesy NPS

BANDELIER NEWS RELEASE

Bandelier National Monument will temporarily close its Tsankawi Unit on  April 3, 2023. It is expected to reopen in late-October after extensive construction work has  been completed. 

The rest of Bandelier National Monument will remain open during this time. This includes: 

• The Pueblo Loop Trail, Alcove House, Falls Trail, and Bandelier Visitor Center in Frijoles  Canyon. 

• The Juniper and Ponderosa Campgrounds. 

• Backcountry and frontcountry hiking trails at such locations as Burnt Mesa, Cerro  Grande, and Alamo Boundary. 

This new closure date replaces an earlier estimate of mid-March 2023. As part of the larger  interagency project to improve traffic flow and safety at the junction of New Mexico State Road 4 and East Jemez Road outside of White Rock, Bandelier will construct a new parking area and  access road that will align with the traffic light at the intersection. 

Construction activities will impact all existing parking for Tsankawi. There will be no safe  parking or access points for the visiting public as a result. “We will use the opportunity of this closure to re-route the Tsankawi Loop Trail around the ancestral pueblo site, and to mitigate the many social trails and other impacts to the area that have been years in the making,” said Superintendent Patrick Suddath in a previous statement. “This site is very important to our  tribal partners, and so it is vital that we fully honor our commitment to address impacts to the  site during this time.” 

Entering Tsankawi by any means will be prohibited during this closure, except for personnel  performing official duties related to the various construction projects. Violators of the closure  will be subject to citation or arrest. The site will remain closed until all construction projects are  completed or until visitors are able to safely access and travel within the area.

For more information about Bandelier National Monument visit http://www.nps.gov/band. Follow us on  Facebook and Instagram. 

The purpose of Bandelier National Monument is to protect, preserve, and interpret an outstanding  portion of the Pajarito Plateau, including one of the largest concentrations of Ancestral Pueblo  archaeological sites in the American Southwest. The park provides opportunities for people to connect  with and enjoy a diversity of cultural and natural resources, striking scenery, wildlife habitats, remnants  of a volcanic landscape, and wilderness.