One of my favorite places to hike in New Mexico is Bandelier National Monument. It’s only a short distance from Los Alamos, and a bit farther from Santa Fe, but it’s a very easy day trip from Albuquerque northward.
Bandelier is a canyon where ruins and petroglyphs reflect evidence of native inhabitants going back 11,000 years. I love early morning walks in Frijoles Canyon, with cool air and the sweet fragrance of piñons and Junipers. I don’t know of anyplace else quite like Bandelier.
On a recent trip to New Mexico, my wife and I took one morning to visit Bandelier. Due to Coronavirus, the park wasn’t all open like normal, but we could hike, and it wasn’t too crowded. It was nice to see some other people getting outdoors and enjoying nature like we were.
Here’s a map of the park/canyon central area, but there’s a lot more to the park than this tiny piece.
Here are a few shots along the trail… notice the mule deer we saw in a few of the photos.
These are shot with my EOS R and 35mm f/1.8 lens. I generally shoot with my digital cameras at ISO 400 to simulate what I’m used to from the old days using Tri-X film. I sometimes stop down to 100 or 200 for outdoor shots, but I feel more comfortable shooting at ISO 400 for some reason.
If you ever travel to New Mexico, and you need something to do for a morning or an afternoon, you should consider a visit to Bandelier National Monument.
Mostly Film Photography (GotFilm.org) 
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