Posted by Clayton in USA | 2 Comments
Hiking in Bandelier National Forest
A little ways outside of Los Alamos, New Mexico is the wonderful Bandelier National Forest. A beautiful mountain setting with tall trees and amazing views. We were able to spend a few days in this wonderful location just a couple hours north of Santa Fe. I love getting out and going hiking in nature and this is definitely the place to go.
We found out about this place from some friends we met that have traveled over 15,000 miles in their RV at Horkavy Travel. They buy road maps because they display locations you won’t find if you do an Internet search. Plus, by using an actual road map you can see more of a surrounding area better.
So back to hiking. There are lots of locations to choose from in the area Almost all of them are off of road 4 and is about an hour drive outside of Los Alamos. We hiked out to go look at the Jemez Springs, which has an overlook area, which is great. Except for when you jump it and twist your ankle, just saying. It does make hiking around a bit more difficult. This area is actually fairly accessible if you have difficulty hiking.
Another great location was the Battleship Rock nearby. This monstrosity is super cool looking and it was nice to stick your feet in the river that flows around it at it’s base. This was the spot we chose to take our midday nap and it made everything feel very peaceful. There are even several hot springs nearby that you can go find. We hiked out to one and took a seat. It was literally just like finding a random hot tub out in the middle of nowhere.
The other awesome thing we found on this drive was the Valle Grande which is a huge crater from an extinct volcano. You can stop at this roadside park and watch herds of elk as they graze along the area. It is a huge meadow area with really awesome views and one of those places where everyone that is there feels the need to tell everyone else that is there how beautiful it is. Which is okay because I was actually doing the same thing.
I almost forgot to take a picture of where we stayed. Welcome to Hotel….. well just nevermind. I like sleeping in tents, they are air conditioned and always have a fridge with complimentary drinks.
Journey Strong[divider]
Hope you two had a great trip. It is always nice to go back to our roots and connect with nature. I think that it makes you remember how simple life can be, and while at the same time making you remember what you have to be thankful for.
Andy recently posted..Speaking to internationals in any language
I’ve always liked getting out in nature since I was a kid. It always seems to make me happy and feel so much better.