In the Footsteps of the Ancients

As mentioned a couple of days ago, while at Bandelier National Monument, we hiked a second trail located in a detached unit of the park known as Tsankawi (roughly 11 miles north of the main entrance).

Some of the highlights of the 1.5-mile Tsankawi Loop along the high mesa top are the cavates (small rooms) and numerous petroglyphs left behind by the Ancestral Pueblos.

The people who lived here during the 15th and 16th centuries built homes out of the soft volcanic tuft (compacted volcanic ash) and used the canyons below to grow crops. Here’s looking out from one of the cavates:

Generations of use have carved trails into the tuft:

Along the route there are three ladders hikers will use to move between the upper and lower cliffs:

Although classified as “rock art”, petroglyphs have a deeper meaning, some known to modern Pueblos, but others now forgotten. Here are a few examples:





Trail: Tsankawi Loop Trail
RT Distance: 1.5 miles
Elevation Gain: minimal
Max Elevation: 6,600 feet



More than a guide book, A Guide To Bandelier National Monument, includes a 38 page introduction which gives a brief description, from prehistory, European arrival, to the WWII era and its aftermath.










Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Delicate Arch

If not the best known arch in the world, Delicate Arch certainly qualifies as the most iconic rock formation in Arches National Park.

The hike to the arch begins from the Wolfe Ranch parking area, located in the east-central portion of the park. If you wish to go home with some great photos the park recommends hiking the trail in the late afternoon. However, summer afternoons are usually quite hot. You may want to consider hiking in the morning or in the evening when temperatures are a little cooler and the crowds are a little thinner.

The first stop on the trail is the Wolfe Ranch. John Wesley Wolfe settled at this location in the late 1800s, and was joined by his family in 1906. Although the cabin they built on this 100+ acre homestead was a little rustic, it was still stocked with fine china ordered from the Sears Catalog.

Beyond the cabin is a petroglyph panel depicting bighorn sheep and Ute hunters on horseback. It was carved sometime between 1650 and 1850. The side path leading to the petroglyph re-joins the main trail further up-trail, and can be taken on your return trip from the arch if you prefer.

The first three-quarters of a mile are relatively flat as the trail passes through desert scrub, but then turns sharply up a steep, slickrock slope. Hikers should keep an eye out for rock cairns to help guide the way for most of the remainder of the route (or just follow the crowds - see photo below!). After climbing for roughly a half-mile the trail levels out. However, just before reaching Delicate Arch, the path traverses a rock ledge for about 200 yards while passing over a fairly steep drop-off.

Once past this section Delicate Arch comes into view for the first time:

Delicate Arch stands 65-feet high, and has an opening roughly 46 feet in height and a width of nearly 32 feet. In the background, roughly 35 miles away, are the La Sal Mountains.

With virtually no shade along the way, this can be a very hot hike. You should take at least 1 quart of water per person.


Trail: Delicate Arch
Roundtrip Distance: 3 Miles
Total Elevation Gain: 535 feet
Max Elevation: 4820 Feet

Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands and Arches National Parks: this fully updated and revised edition includes trail descriptions and maps of the best short hikes that venture into some of the most scenic sections of Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.

Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com