Slot Canyon Trail Tent Rocks

Slot Canyon Trail Tent Rocks Average ratng: 3,7/5 5166 reviews

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Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
Location	Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Nearest city	Cochiti Pueblo, NM
Coordinates	35°39′37″N106°24′30″W / 35.66028°N 106.40833°WCoordinates: 35°39′37″N106°24′30″W / 35.66028°N 106.40833°W
Area	5,402 acres (21.86 km²)^[1]
Established	January 17, 2001
Governing body	U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Website	Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

The rock formations are unlike anything I've seen elsewhere, and the hike through the slot canyon and up to the top was varied and beautiful. I am very glad we visited at the end of October with hardly any other people so we could enjoy the amazing beauty. It would be a totally different experience during busy season, with up to a 90 minute wait just to drive in and park. Definitely best off. The Slot Canyon Trail is located at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, about 40 miles west of Santa Fe. The national monument is open daily from 8 a.m. For details on how to get to the national monument, park closures, and more, visit the BLM website. Website: Bureau of Land Management. The Slot Canyon trail is a one-way trail covering 1.5 miles (2.4 km) through a slot canyon and up a climb of 630 feet (190 m) to a lookout point where the tent rocks may be viewed from above. The Cave Loop trail is approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) and leads past the base of the cliffs, near some of the tent rocks and a small cavate similar to those found at the nearby Bandelier National Monument. The Bureau of Land Management calls Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument a “remarkable outdoor laboratory” but we like to think of it more as a stunning recreational and geological observatory. Tent Rocks is known for water sculpted sandstone hoodoos (also called tent rocks), which are soft cliffsides that have been eroded by years of weather to form thin cone like spires and slot canyons that look like stretched taffy. Hiking trip report, map, and photos for Tent Rocks Slot Canyon and Cave Loop, located in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, New Mexico. This is a 3.2 mile out-and-back hike with 900 cumulative feet of elevation gain that takes about 2-4 hours to complete.

A narrow section of the slot canyon

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located approximately 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, near Cochiti Pueblo. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), it was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001. Kasha-Katuwe means 'white cliffs' in the Pueblo language Keresan.^[2] The monument is a unit of the BLM's National Conservation Lands.

Geology[edit]

Kasha-Katuwe is located on the Pajarito Plateau between 5700 and 6400 feet (1737–1951 m) above sea level. The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by pyroclastic flow from eruptions within the volcanic field of the Jemez Mountains that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. These rock layers are assigned to the Peralta Tuff. Many of the layers are light in color, which is the origin of the monument's Keresan name. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created slot canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks are composed of soft pumice and tuff. Most of the tent rocks have a distinctly conical shape and some retain their caprocks of harder stone. The tent rocks vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet (27 m).^[2]

Recreational activities[edit]

The BLM maintains hiking trails as well as parking and restrooms at the site. The Slot Canyon trail is a one-way trail covering 1.5 miles (2.4 km) through a slot canyon and up a climb of 630 feet (190 m) to a lookout point where the tent rocks may be viewed from above. The Cave Loop trail is approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) and leads past the base of the cliffs, near some of the tent rocks and a small cavate similar to those found at the nearby Bandelier National Monument. The Veterans' Memorial Scenic Overlook, dedicated in 2004, includes a 1 mile (1.6 km) loop trail and views of Peralta Canyon and the Jemez Mountains. The overlook is located at the end of a gravel road approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of the tent rocks and may not be accessible depending on road and weather conditions.

The monument is open for day use only and may be closed by order of the Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Governor. Considerations for hiking include the possibility of flash flooding in the slot canyons and the high altitude of the monument. The monument is closed to dogs.^[2]

In popular culture[edit]