Side Dish: Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks 4/3/09

Okay, this one might cause a bit of controversy. Among who, exactly, no one knows, as our readership goes little beyond the people who write the damn blog to begin with. Still, we're going to live dangerously here and classify Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks as a Side Dish, rather than a fully-fledged member of the National Park System. True, it's a National Monument - kind of - but it's controlled by the BLM, and as such, is not on the official website (http://www.nps.gov/). It was brought into the fold by President Clinton in January 2001, right before he left office, and though I'm sure the answer is available, I'm not exactly sure why it could not have been under the NPS umbrella. Perhaps it doesn't really matter - protection is protection - but from the standpoint of public awareness, it matters a great deal. It is all too easy for Kasha-Katuwe to slip under the radar, and despite numerous trips through New Mexico, we had never even heard about it until recently. And because it's "merely" BLM, the interstate lacks the necessary signs to point travelers in the right direction. It's a shame, because it's a keeper.

Yep, that's the entrance sign. Doesn't have that same NPS grandeur, does it? We knew there was a passport stamp somewhere on the grounds (we saw internet evidence, but who knows?), but pardon us for lacking the same giddy excitement as we drove along a rambling road off I-25. Here are the facts: Kasha-Katuwe includes 4,645 acres of land located 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe on the Cochiti Pueblo. Following the signs on the reservation, you'll eventually come to a pay station, which we guessed (hoped) was also the home of the stamp. We asked, expecting to hear the usual "Uhhh, what?", but were shocked into silliness by the young man's joyous affirmation. There it was! No longer an urban legend, we grabbed it, tested it, and stamped away. You get one shot at this, as you know, so this had better be.......Aw, shit. After peering at it a few hundred times, it no longer looks so bad, but at first blush, it was smudged and smeared, unreadable even to the keenest of eyes. The date looks okay, but this could be a stamp from anywhere, as the location looks like it was left out in the rain. Nevertheless, we had to go in. Our moods were soured, but maybe this would be a cool place.

We had no idea. Simply put, Kasha-Katuwe is an awesome sight to behold. Utterly unique and bizarre, we walked to the rocks like kids in a candy store, uttering enthusiastic words we hadn't used in years. What are the tent rocks, you ask? First, they are "the products of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago and left pumice, ash, and tuff deposits over 1,000 feet thick." Subsequent explosions from a nearby volcanic field "spewed pyroclasts (rock fragments), while searing hot gases blasted down slopes in an avalanche called a pyroclastic flow." Rapid cooling created volcanic glass, and many of the hoodoos are topped with a "boulder cap" that arrest erosion. The tent rocks vary in their height from a few feet to over 90 feet tall. Fortunately, the trail goes in, up to, and around the tent rocks, providing an up close and personal view that doesn't require an extensive backcountry hike.

The Cave Loop Trail (easy) is about 1.2 miles long, and is your best bet. We arrived late in the day, so it was a perfect fit for seeing the rocks and surrounding landscape. There's also a 1.5 mile Canyon Trail, but this assumes you want to hike into the canyon with a 630-foot climb to the top of the mesa. Yeah, we'd have a hell of a view, but a few hundred yards on the flat part of the trail was enough for us. After all, what could possibly top the tent rocks? We hear there's a cave back there somewhere, but I doubt they'd allow us to sleep for the night after our inevitable collapse.

The drive to the trails had been dirt roads when we were there, but we hear the paved variety have been installed since. If this helps bring in more visitors, all the better. On a warm day, this place is a hiker's dream, and the tent rocks stunning enough to justify numerous stops (and pictures). Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the traditional Keresan language of the Pueblo. Over the centuries, the area has seen a Native and Spanish presence, and the land is rich in plant, animal, and bird life. It was a glorious side dish - a nice addition to a trip that had originally been for the Trinity Site alone. As always, here's to the unexpected gems. And thanks to that nice kid for holding on to the stamp and ink pad.