Tyuonyi Overlook

A flat hike that goes past two small archaeological sites and ends up with great views of the canyon and Tyuonyi. If you are camping, take this hike at sunrise or sunset.

Hike data

Waypoints

Maps

Getting to the trailhead

About the hike

Plants along the trail

Comments

Hike data:

Controlling agency:

National Park Service; Bandelier National Monument

Official URL:

Park service web page for the hike

Region:

North-central; Bandelier National Monument.

Elevation:

start:	6640ft; 2024m	end:	6502ft; 1982m
min:	6502ft; 1982m	max:	6640ft; 2024m

elevation gain/loss: 137ft; 42m.

Length:

2.30mi; 3.70km. Out and back distance from GPS. The park service says 2.2 mi (3.5 km).

Trail:

surface: mixed dirt/rock

condition: Excellent

ease of following: Easy

obstacles: None
The trail is sand and packed gravel in the beginning, rock at the end.

Fee:

$12.00. Park entry fee, good for seven days. An annual permit is $30.

Season:

All year. Summer is likely to be hot unless you hike near sunrise. After a snowstorm, snow might be a problem, but most will probably melt in a few days.

Dogs:

No. Dogs are not allowed on any of the trails at Bandelier.

Bikes:

No.

Handicapped accessible:

No.

General notes:

The trailhead is across the road from the Juniper campground, which is where the facilities are.

The park service requests that you stay on the trails. It is illegal to disturb any archaeological sites.

Trailhead facilities:

flush toilet(s), picnic area, trash can(s), water.

Hike attractions:

history, scenery, wildflowers, wildlife, year-round access.

When we hiked it:

Date:	2003-10-25	2005-06-12	2006-04-28
Time it took us:	1:37.	1:20.	1:07.
Usage (people/hour):	0.00. Nobody else was hiking.	0.00. Nobody else was on the trail.	0.00. We saw nobody.
Cleanliness:	10.	10.	10.

Waypoints:

Waypoint	Type	Description
BANDAMPI	Trailhead	Bandelier amphitheater and trailhead for the Tyuonyi overlook trail.
TYU OVRLK	Trail point	Tyuonyi overlook, the end of the trail

Maps:

Paper maps:

Map name	Cartographer	Year	Scale	Topo map?	Online access	Notes
Albuquerque New Mexico	USGS	1983	1:100000	Y	from sar.lanl.gov (free)
Bandelier National Monument	National Geographic Trails Illustrated	2000	1:28600	Y	from Amazon (purchase)
Guide to Indian Country of Arizona Colorado New Mexico Utah	Automobile Club of Southern California	1998	1:0	N	from Amazon (purchase)	Good overview road map for northwest NM. No scale is given on the map. The corner coordinates are approximate.
Los Alamos	BLM	2003	1:100000	Y	from Amazon (purchase)
Santa Fe National Forest	US Forest Service	2004	1:126720	N	from Amazon (purchase)	West half
Wildernesses of New Mexico	US Forest Service	1981	1:1000000	N	No online copies.	Base map with national forests, wilderness areas and highways.

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Getting to the trailhead:

From the main entrance to Bandelier National Monument, follow the signs to the Juniper Campground. Across from loop B is the amphitheater parking. Park here and the trailhead takes off to the left from the trail to the amphitheater.

About the hike:

	The trail goes through meadows near the start. Many trees are dead, some from a fire.
Near dawn and dusk, you may see animals such as this rabbit.
	If the conditions have been right, the meadow may also have several varieties of flowers.
This archaeological site is just off the trail; a short trail leads to it. At one time, this building had about 20 rooms. Archaeological investigations showed it was occupied for a short time in the 1200s.
	This small, round archaeological site is along the trail, near the overlook. The interpretative sign says that it was a sacred site.
At the end of the trail, you are on a point looking into Frijoles canyon. You can see the trail through the main archaeological sites, as well as the trail heading up the south side of the canyon, part of the Frijolito Ruins loop. You are also likely to hear the Frijoles creek running in the canyon below. In the view arena, there are good views of the Sandia, Sangre de Cristo, and Jemez mountains.

Plants we saw along the trail:

Banana yucca (Agavaceae Yucca baccata)
Soapweed yucca (Agavaceae Yucca glauca)
Skunkbush sumac or lemonadebush (Anacardiaceae Rhus trilobata)
New Mexico thistle (Asteraceae Cirsium neomexicanum)
Pale thistle (Asteraceae Cirsium pallidum)
Wavyleaf thistle (Asteraceae Cirsium undulatum)
Fleabane (Asteraceae Erigeron)
Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon or Salsify (Asteraceae Tragopogon lamottei)
Western wallflower (Brassicaceae Erysimum asperum)
Tall tumblemustard (Brassicaceae Sisymbrium altissimum)
Pricklypear (Cactaceae Opuntia)
Oneseed juniper (Cupressaceae Juniperus monosperma)
Rocky Mountain juniper (Cupressaceae Juniperus scopulorum)
Oak (Fagaceae Quercus)
Piñon pine (Pinaceae Pinus edulis)
Ponderosa pine (Pinaceae Pinus ponderosa)
Grama (Poaceae Bouteloua)
Scarlet gilia or scarlet skyrocket (Polemoniaceae Ipomopsis aggregata)
Alderleaf mountain mahogany (Rosaceae Cercocarpus montanus)
Apache plume (Rosaceae Fallugia paradoxa)
Indian paintbrush (Scrophulariaceae Castilleja)
Beardtongue (Scrophulariaceae Penstemon)
Mullein (Scrophulariaceae Verbascum)

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