This week, we encourage everyone to get outside and discover the amazing natural and cultural resources the National Park Service works to protect every day. But what does it mean to discover something?
Although we are named after Adolph Bandelier, he was by no means the first person to visit this canyon. There is evidence of over 10,000 years of human occupation here on the Pajarito Plateau, and the first Ancestral Pueblo people began building in Frijoles Canyon around 1150 CE. Even when the Ancestral Pueblo people left the canyon in the mid-1500s, these sites were not forgotten and continue to be revisited by Pueblo communities in the area. Hundreds of thousands of visitors ‘discover’ these sites for themselves every year.
A Fee Free Day to celebrate the start of National Park Week, and a great day to discover something new to you! After checking out the Main Pueblo Loop Trail (if you haven’t already!), take the Frijolito Loop or the Tyuouni Overlook Trail to admire all the beauty the park has to offer. If you are up for a more strenuous exploration, the 12-mile hike out to the Ancestral Pueblo site of Yapashi takes you through the canyons and mesas that make Bandelier unique. Whether you’re hiking for one hour or five hours, we encourage you to pay attention to the world around you – and see what you can discover when you look closely.
#sParkDiscovery #NationalParkWeek #FeeFreeDay #Bandelier #BandelierNationalMonument #FindYourPark #EncuentraTuParque
Original source can be found here.
