Mixed Media National Park Week
NATURE, CULTURE, HISTORY: FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE DURING NATIONAL PARK WEEK
Each April, the National Park Service joins with its nonprofit partner, the National Park Foundation, to encourage the exploration, discover the history, and support the cultural education provided by national parks. This year, National Park Week runs from April 20 to 28, and all sites that charge entrance fees will waive them on Saturday, April 20. There are 15 NPS sites in New Mexico. Great hiking and enriching interpretive experiences are plentiful, and many sites are near Santa Fe.
▼ Bandelier National Monument, about a 50-minute drive from downtown, is a site where Ancestral Pueblo people lived from about 1150 to 1550 in homes carved from volcanic tuff. Climbing ladders and hiking are central to this experience, so dress accordingly. nps.gov/band; 505-672-3861 x517
▼ Also in Los Alamos, there’s a new NPS site covering the story of the secret building of the atomic bomb. Although there’s no current public access to relevant Department of Energy facilities, walking tours are available in town. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park also has locations in Tennessee and Washington.
Los Alamos unit information: nps.gov/mapr/manhattan-project-los-alamos. htm; Los Alamos unit brochure: nps.gov/mapr/upload/Final-Brochure.pdf; 505-661-6277
▼ At Fort Union National Monument in Watrous, 75 minutes from Santa Fe, there’s an expansive shortgrass prairie with visible Santa Fe Trail wagon tracks and Territorial-style adobe remnants of the largest 19th-century military fort in the region. nps.gov/foun; 505-425-8025
▼ About 30 minutes from downtown, you’ll find Pecos National Historical Park, which offers weekend Civil War battlefield hikes, daily Ancestral Pueblo site tours, and a weekly foray to the Forked Lightning Ranch house. On the last day of National Park Week, April 28, there are special hikes available at Forked Lightning Pueblo and Geologic Crossroads. Call ahead to reserve spots. Entrance to this park is always free. nps.gov/peco; 505-757-7241
▼ As for Albuquerque, Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America and features symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400-700 years ago. nps.gov/petr; 505-899-0205 x335
Most park sites offer Junior Ranger programs that provide a way to learn while earning a badge or patch and trading cards. This perk is aimed at kids, but all are welcome to participate. Note that April 20, the free entrance day, is also National Junior Ranger Day, and buttons and special activities will be available at some parks.
For seasonal hours, entry fee information, camping fees where applicable, tour information, and special events, it’s best to call the unit visitor center or visit the web page.
A complete list of New Mexico NPS sites may be found at nps.gov/state/ nm/list.htm. — Patricia Lenihan