The Los Alamos Loop

Bandelier National Monument--See ancient pueblos, burial and religious sites of the Anasazi tribe. Learn about their culture too.

White Rock--Eye-popping scenic overlook. Take pictures or meditate.

Bradbury Space Center--History of the nuclear testing at Los Alamos and the Manhatten Project. Other science stuff too.

Los Alamos Historical Museum--Visit and understand the history and culture of Los Alamos through the ages.

The Art Center at Fuller Lodge showcases the talents of local and regional artists. You can buy their work as well as view it.

Quick Tips:

You might want to plan to visit Bandelier before or after the afternoon because it gets so hot. We wanted to travel further along the trail, but we didn't bring enough water and we weren't used to the altitude.

Visit the Los Alamos' website at: www.losalamos.com

Best Way To Get Around:

Fuller Lodge was once a ranch school for boys. A small part of the lodge is now the art center. Works from New Mexican artists are shown and sold here. Some of the art is good, some of it not so good. Still, it's worth a pass through, especially if you're visiting the historical museum next door.

Several tours are given throughout the day. The particular tour I went on was wonderful. Our guide was an ancestor of the Anasazi. She told us how vital the water was to them when they lived in Bandelier National Park. I learned that the Yucca plant could be used to wash your clothes or your hair. You can braid it to make shoes. And you can eat it too. She told us two folk tales her grandmother taught her. Then she ground corn with rocks as they used to.

After that, go explore the area. You'll see kivas--ceremonial pits used for worshipping. We saw a burial mound. The most exciting part is climbing to the cliff dwellings and going inside an actual one. It's hot and you'll realize how good it feels to be inside the cool dome.

I strongly caution anyone who has medical problems to try to stay out of the sun. They may not want to walk up the numerous stairs to see the cliff dwellings either. I'm in fairly good shape, but I needed a lot of water and I was out of breath. The altitude will get to you. Take it slow and don't try to do it in the heat of the day.