Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is a lot of syllables. It is also, as the name states, a national monument, and was my destination one warm November day. My 12 year old daughter, Brittany, was along for the trip. Kasha-Katuwe (Gesundheit!) was declared a national monument in 2001 by President Bill Clinton, possibly while Monica was out on a cigar run. The monument is 4,124 acres of public land with picnic tables and restrooms at the parking/trailhead area. There is a $5 per vehicle fee (worth every penny!) and no overnight camping. There are many types of wildlife within the monument including a variety of birds for you birdwatchers (my idea of birdwatching is staring at moist and tender chickens on a rotisserie). Tent Rocks National Monument was seen in Young Guns 2 and a low budget late 80's sci-fi movie by the name of High Desert Kill, starring Marc Singer (of Beastmaster fame), Chuck Connors, and some soap opera guy.
We started out on I-25 north from Albuquerque and drove the 50 or so miles to exit 259, the Cochiti Lake exit. On NM 22 we crossed the Santo Domingo Reservation on gently rolling hills and down into a valley and through the little town of Pena Blanca. According to the 2000 Census, Pena Blanca has only 661 residents, and looks as if it is only barely alive. The town is located in a pleasant farming valley nestled among the cottonwoods. My daughter suggested that we buy some land here. I told her that was a great idea and sent her off to work in a coal mine to raise the money. I didn't really. She refused. From Pena Blanca we drove a few more miles and turned left on NM 22 towards Cochiti Pueblo. Just under 2 miles on the right hand side is the turn for the monument entrance. Some people say to look for a water tower painted like a drum, but what they don't tell you is that it is a way back from the road (I didn't see it until after the fact). I drove up to the booth and handed over our $5 entrance fee. From the pay station it is 4 1/2 miles to the parking lot along a dirt road. This dirt road is some of the nastiest washboard I've ever driven on. We vibrated and rattled this way and that. At one point, around 18 miles per hour, the shuddering sent an odd and strangely pleasing vibration up through my nether-regions. By the time we traveled the 4 1/2 miles to the parking lot, the entire contents of my 4Runner had been rearranged, my underpants were on the outside of my jeans, and Brittany was cross-eyed. We pulled into the last available parking spot and took a few moments to track down our water bottles and backpacks, and allow our internal organs to settle back into their original locations.
Kasha-Katuwe (Bless you!) is a popular spot- it was the middle of November and the place was packed. Brittany and I set out on the trail trying to maintain a certain distance between the folks in front of us and those bringing up the rear. We were on the Canyon Trail which is one and a half miles each way through a narrow canyon and up onto the mesa top. The walk through the canyon is amazing. There are twists and turns, narrow spots, wide spots, a boulder to climb under, and a tree that may very well test positive for crack cocaine (see photo).
The canyon is made up of mostly volcanic material that has, over time, been shaped by wind and erosion. Six to seven million years ago (six and a quarter by my watch) the Jemez volcanic field went "KABLOOEY" and ruined Christmas for all the nearby forest critters. It left deposits of pumice, ash, and tuff over 1000 feet thick (holy moly!). When hiking this trail you are basically crawling up the monument's ash-crack. Sorry, I had to. The cone- shaped formations are made up of pumice and tuff and range in size from a couple of feet to more than 90 feet tall. Gazing at many of these large pointed rocks, I couldn't help but imagine a few people impaled upon them- a couple of former bosses and Rosie O'Donnell came immediately to mind. I realized that perhaps my imagination had run away with me as I noticed I was muttering under my breath in a demented fashion and rubbing my hands together in the manner of a Vaudevillian evil-doer savoring a nefarious plot. Brittany was 30 feet away pretending she didn't know who I was, and fellow hikers were giving me a wide berth and nervous sideways glances. I blushed a little, got Brittany, and continued on our way to the top. Most of the canyon is a gradual incline with occasional rises of a few feet. Once you reach a certain point, however, the trail climbs 630 feet in a rather short distance. The view from the top is breathtaking. You can see the Jemez mountains, the Sandias, the Sangre De Cristos, and the Rio Grande Valley. I also saw the road in and the trailhead and thought, "Holy crap! Did I really walk that far? Did I really climb this high? Waitress! I'd like an Advil-tini and a BenGay chaser." The views were a bit diminished this time due to a thick haze that, I believe, was a result of the California fires. The hike up took us about an hour and a half to an hour and forty-five minutes- that includes several photo stops and a murderous fantasy or two. We made the hike back down to the truck in about twenty-five minutes. Four miles further up the road is the Veteran's Memorial Scenic Overlook. This was dedicated in 2004 to all American veterans and is supposed to have spectacular views of the Dome Wilderness, Jemez Mountains, and Peralta and Camada canyons, but neither Brittany or I felt up to four more miles of that awful road.
We headed back to Albuquerque but opted for the scenic route. We left the interstate at Algodones and turned left (south) on NM 313 through Algodones, Bernalillo, and Sandia Pueblo. This also happens to be part of Route 66 from 1926-1937, for those of you who are interested.
For more info on Kasha-Katuwe visit www.nm.blm.gov/recreation/albuquerque/kasha_katuwe.htm
