Laninga's Travel Blog

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, located 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico is a (BLM) managed site that was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001. Kasha-Katuwe means “white cliffs” in the Pueblo language Keresan.

The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by  a volcanic explosion within the Jemez Volcanic Field that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks themselves are cones of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder caprocks, and vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet.

We hiked both trails, the one around the base and the much more difficult climb to the top.  The latter included both working our way through a slot canyon and scrambling over rock formations.  But the view from the was worth the effort.