Well, I didn't go up there. I'm afraid of heights, but at least I admit that. Most people don't, so it's hilarious to sit beneath the ladders and look up. And hey, if the weather’s good, maybe some young girls will try too - now I got smacked by my wife!

Once you arrive, entrace fees are $5 a person or $10 a car. The first thing you should do is head to the visitors center and pick up a guided trail map. These maps will guide you along your hike, pointing out sites of interest and giving historical and cultural facts.

Buy a copy of the Frijoles Canyon trail guide at the Visitor Center for $1 before you head out. It’s crucial to understanding items along the 1 ¼ mile loop walk which features remains of an ancient pueblo, reconstructed cliff dwellings and kivas. Some reconstructions have ladders for access. The general rule is: No ladder: stay out; if there’s a ladder: c’mon in.

By the way, you can’t miss the Bat Cave. Unfortunately, the reason you can’t miss it is the pile of guano at the base of the cliff and its stench…. In season, rangers lead an Evening Batwalk at sunset to see the bats fly out.

At the far end of the Frijoles Canyon walk, just as it loops back to the Visitor Center, there’s a right hand turn for the ½ mile trail to Ceremonial Cave. Take this walk. It’s a level, shaded dirt trail, all easy walking until the end. Then it’s a 140 foot climb using four separate rustic wooden ladders and a few narrow sets of stairs to a large cave overlooking the canyon. It’s not a true cave, more like a large hollow in the cliff face. Despite the name, today it’s no longer believed to have had ceremonial uses. Current thinking is that it was just another large communal living space.

Note that the hike is at 6000 foot elevation in an area with extreme heat, important considerations for those coming from sea level homes in northern climes. Be sure to take a water bottle

After taking about an hour to see the dwellings, we weren’t ready to leave yet. So we went on a hike to the Rio Grande River. This was a great hike! It seems that most visitors don’t venture beyond the cliff dwellings, so we had the entire trail to ourselves. Actually, the trail was narrow and overgrown in some spots due to lack of use! Fairly early in the hike, you get to a viewpoint of a scenic waterfall. You can look down into the flat drainage under the waterfall and can hike into it from lower on the trail. The trail then winds downhill toward the Rio Grande through wild clumps of vegetation and swampy areas. We saw where deer had bedded down and left matted down grass. The river itself was kind of brown and very quick moving – I wondered where the origin of the Rio Grande was since the river is not very big here. We sat under a nearby tree in the shade and soaked up the tranquility – how nice not to have to share with anyone. We were glad to have spent longer that the "average visit" of 2 hours in Bandelier National Monument.

You'll have to walk a short distance to view the cliff dwellings, so wear comfy shoes. Best time to go is fall or spring - could be too hot in the summer to be enjoyable! There are places for picnics and camping. Also, giftshop and snackbar.

Also an entrance fee - per car I believe.