Autumn Travel Inspiration: The Southwestern City That Serves as a Gateway to Three National Parks

New Mexico boasts 15 national parks and monuments. Yes, fifteen! What’s truly exciting is that three of them are conveniently located near each other—and close to Santa Fe—allowing you to experience all of them in one beautiful, seamless trip.

During a recent extended weekend, I settled into the art-rich atmosphere of Santa Fe (a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network). Between visits to the interactive wonderland of Meow Wolf, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and other attractions from Dinogo’s guide to the top activities in Santa Fe, I ventured out to immerse myself in the state’s unique mix of nature and history, beautifully showcased by Bandelier National Monument, Valles Caldera National Preserve, and Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

Pro tip: The next free-entry days at national parks are coming up on September 28 and November 11, 2024—an excellent reason to start planning your autumn getaways now, whether traveling with family or alone. As if you needed another excuse to explore these three national park sites.

Bandelier National Monument

Located about a 50-minute drive northwest of Santa Fe, Bandelier encompasses 33,000 acres of preserved canyonlands and mesas, celebrated for its well-maintained petroglyphs and cliffside dwellings. The 1.4-mile Pueblo Loop Trail, starting at the Bandelier National Monument Visitor Center, is a must-see. It guides you through remnants of ancient Pueblo villages and rock-carved homes, many of which are accessible. I was amazed as I ascended; hikers can climb wooden ladders into the cool, dark cavates that are 500 to 700 years old. For those with a head for heights, there’s a daring option midway through the trail: a series of long, steep ladders that wind half a mile along a cliffside to Alcove House, a grand semicircular dwelling 140 feet above the canyon floor. There are numerous other trails available, including the Falls Trail (which leads to a waterfall) and the ambitious 22-mile Painted Cave trek (named aptly for its destination). Two campgrounds are also available for overnight stays. Be sure to check with park rangers before you go; trail conditions can change due to flooding, and you’ll want the latest safety updates.

Keep in mind that during peak hours in high season (approximately late June to mid-October), visitors must park at an external visitor center and take a free shuttle into the park. This initiative was implemented to ease overcrowding in parking areas.

Valles Caldera National Preserve

Just a half-hour drive from Bandelier reveals a strikingly different landscape. The Valles Caldera, born from a volcanic eruption over 1.2 million years ago, features a vast 14-mile-wide crater that has transformed into a serene expanse of grassy meadows, known as 'valles' in Spanish, framed by the Jemez Mountains. For thousands of years, this land has been integral to various American Indian tribes for hunting, fishing, crafting tools from obsidian, and gathering medicinal plants. In the 1800s, settlers appropriated the area for sheep and cattle ranching, while logging activities in the early to mid-1900s devastated much of its ancient forests. Since 2000, a governmental initiative has prioritized the restoration and preservation of this unique environment, allowing visitors to enjoy meadows, winding rivers, lush forests on volcanic formations, and diverse wildlife such as elk, prairie dogs, bald eagles, and black bears. By night, the skies above are a breathtaking sight; Valles Caldera is designated as an International Dark Sky Park, where rangers conduct night hikes and sky-viewing events during full moons.

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Located just a 20-minute drive from both Bandelier and Valles Caldera (and about 45 minutes from Santa Fe), the Manhattan Project National Historical Park offers a glimpse into why the U.S. government chose Los Alamos for such a highly confidential endeavor. If you were in the 1940s searching for a secluded area to develop a top-secret project like the atomic bomb, this remote stretch of barren land, encircled by mountains, would be the ideal location.

The park consists of three distinct sites located across the United States: a former plutonium production facility in Hanford, Washington; a uranium enrichment complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and the historical research and laboratory site in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Often dubbed 'Atomic City,' the Los Alamos section resembles a college campus, allowing visitors to spend an entire day exploring its historic buildings and museums.

Exploring the campus is both enlightening and unsettling. This is a place where significant wrongs were committed. Yet, in 1943 alone, it was also the birthplace of 80 babies. I took a break at a gazebo overlooking a charming little lake near the visitor center, where I observed tourists snapping playful selfies with a life-sized bronze statue of Manhattan Project leaders Oppenheimer and General Groves. The gift shop at the history museum offers keychains and stickers featuring Oppenheimer’s iconic pipe-smoking silhouette.

Walking through this historical site is an invaluable experience. The Bradbury Science Museum and the Los Alamos History Museum narrate the story of the bomb project from its inception to its consequences, including espionage tales, artifacts from testing, and replicas of the Little Boy and Fat Man atomic bombs. What captivated me most were the insights into daily life captured on plaques and displays throughout the historic buildings: from the cottages where scientists and civilians resided to the secured phone calls, lively dinner parties, and the curious case of Sears, Roebuck & Company complaining about sending 400 catalogs to a single P.O. Box, not realizing that all civilians shared the same address for security reasons.

If you’re interested in cinematic history, there’s that opportunity as well. The film Oppenheimer was shot here in 2022, and the National Park Service has created a self-guided tour of filming locations, available through a paper pamphlet or the NPS app.

For those eager to delve deeper into the scientific history, there’s a rare opportunity to join the sought-after 'behind the fence' tours of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. These tours are offered just a few times a year and take guests to notable locations, such as Pond Cabin, where Emilio Segrè's plutonium research team conducted their work, and the Battleship Bunker, where scientists examined magnetic field disruptions and implosion phenomena.

Where to stay in Santa Fe

• The long-established Inn of the Five Graces, a family-owned Relais & Châteaux hotel, unveiled a fantastic spa in 2021. Its design is adorned with textiles and furnishings sourced from countries like India, Afghanistan, and Morocco, complemented by intricate tile mosaics in both the bathrooms and treatment rooms.
• The historic and art-filled La Fonda Hotel served as a retreat for those at Los Alamos and remains a favorite getaway for visitors. Be sure to enjoy a cocktail at its Bell Tower Rooftop Bar, even if you're not staying there.
• Set on 20 serene acres, the Japanese-inspired Ten Thousand Waves is located in the high hills, about a 15-minute drive from downtown Santa Fe. Treat yourself to the spa's deep stone massage and salt scrubs, or indulge in a soothing herbal wrap with a foot soak add-on. The spa welcomes non-guests, and it's worth the visit for the izakaya-style restaurant, Izanami, which features sustainably raised beef, pork, chicken, and organic vegetables.