New Mexico · Hiking · Near Santo Domingo Pueblo

Main Loop

Main LoopPhoto: davidwilson1949, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
0.2 mi
distance
6,084 ft
high point
Lollipop
route
Easy
difficulty
Mar–May, Oct
best months

Is Main Loop open right now?

Alert in the area

The National Park Service lists an alert for Bandelier National Monument.

As of · Source: NPS · Bandelier National Monument. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Main Loop is a short 0.15-mile lollipop trail in New Mexico managed by the National Park Service. The trail gains 44 feet of elevation.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Juniper Campground Loop A

    Campground

    Campground · 1.2 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Sirphey at Bandelier Restaurant

    Fast food

    On your way back · 1 mi
  • If it rainsNewMexicophotographer1, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    El Rancho de las Golondrinas

    Museum

    Museum · 17 mi from Santo Domingo Pueblo

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: NewMexicophotographer1, CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons)

More in Santo Domingo Pueblo

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Nearby · Frijolito Trail · Geology Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 2 · Burro Trail
  • Best time to go · Mar–May, Oct

    Best time to visit Main Loop

    Best months: March–May and October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      50° / 20°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    2. Feb

      56° / 24°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    3. Mar

      64° / 30°

      4 wet

    4. Apr

      71° / 37°

      4 wet

    5. May

      81° / 46°

      5 wet

    6. Jun

      92° / 56°

      5 wet

    7. Jul

      94° / 61°

      10 wet

    8. Aug

      92° / 59°

      10 wet

    9. Sep

      86° / 52°

      6 wet

    10. Oct

      74° / 39°

      5 wet

    11. Nov

      60° / 28°

      4 wet

    12. Dec

      50° / 20°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Cochiti Dam, NM, 10.1 mi away at 5,560 ft. The station sits about 500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Frijolito TrailPhoto: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Frijolito Trail

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0.39-mile out-and-back trail with 559 ft gain in New Mexico.

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Geology Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 2

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Frijoles Canyon is carved into a thick layer of volcanic ash that over time compacted into a soft rock known as tuff. This ash was deposited over 1 million years ago in two separate eruptions of the Jemez Volcano, each spewing over 600 times more ash than Mt St Helens in 1980.…

Burro TrailPhoto: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Burro Trail

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5.89-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 188 ft elevation gain.

Long TrailPhoto: davidwilson1949, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Long Trail

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1.04-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,224 ft of elevation gain.

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Ancient Life Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 1

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Welcome to the Main or Pueblo Loop Trail. This trail is 1.4 miles roundtrip and will take you past many archeological sites. Portions of the trail are relatively flat and can be traveled by wheelchairs and strollers. Other sections have numerous narrow stairs and can be diffic…

Frijoles Rim TrailPhoto: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Frijoles Rim Trail

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1.92-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 567 ft elevation gain

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Pueblo Loop Trail

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The Main Pueblo Loop Trail is the most popular trail in Bandelier at 1.4 miles roundtrip, you see more archeological sites here than on any other trail. This trail begins directly behind the park visitor center and includes climbing ladders into cavates, petroglyphs, and a pav…

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Entering Tyuonyi Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 7

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You are now standing in the central plaza of the village. Can you hear the dogs barking and the laughter of children playing or chasing the domesticated turkeys? This would have been a very active and noisy place during Ancestral Pueblo times. One theory suggests that this vil…

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Frijoles Creek Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 3

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Looking at Frijoles Creek it is hard to imagine it carving this dozen mile long canyon. In recent years it is not uncommon for this stream to dry up in summer from near Alcove House and downstream. Before Las Conchas Fire in 2011 this stream ran at least past the visitor cente…

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Falls Trail Tour - Introduction

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Frijoles Canyon is a lush green ribbon in this arid environment. Creekside areas, known as riparian zones, are home to an amazing diversity of plant and animal life due to the relative abundance of water. Frijoles Creek is a permanent stream (runs year-round) for most of its…

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors