Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument on Cochiti Pueblo land in north-central New Mexico preserves a landscape of conical pumice and tuff rock formations produced by volcanic eruptions from the Jemez Mountains 6 to 7 million years ago. The tent rock cones — ranging from a few feet to over 90 feet tall — are capped by harder basalt boulders that protect the softer tuff beneath from erosion, creating the characteristic tent or teepee silhouette that gives the monument its common name. The Kasha-Katuwe name in the Keresan language of the Cochiti people means 'white cliffs.' The monument's two interconnected trails reveal the formations from contrasting perspectives. The Cave Loop Trail (1.2 miles) traverses the base of the tent rocks at close range, passing through a narrow slot canyon as tight as three feet wide that opens dramatically into an open basin of cones. The Slot Canyon Trail branches from the Cave Loop and climbs steeply to a mesa-top viewpoint (2.5 miles round-trip, 630 feet of elevation gain) where visitors look down across the entire tent-rock dunefield and out over the Rio Grande valley toward the Sandia Mountains. The tight slot canyon section is the most photographed feature, with smooth tuff walls glowing in filtered overhead light. The monument is managed jointly by the BLM and Cochiti Pueblo and closes on certain Cochiti feast days; the closure schedule is not always announced publicly in advance. No camping is permitted within the monument. The entrance fee of $5 per vehicle is paid at the fee station on NM-22, 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe.