Jemez Mountain Trail
Jemez Mountain Trail Tour
| Departure: | Bradbury Science Museum, New Mexico |
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| Destination: | Jemez State Monument, New Mexico |
| Time to allow: | 1 day |
This tour begins at Bradbury Science Museum and travels the eastern leg of the Jemez Mountain Trail, stopping along monuments and hot springs, all set in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains. A full day will allow you to appreciate all that these stops have to offer.
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Start: Bradbury Science Museum
The Bradbury Science Museum offers a great deal of information and fun for everyone, so discover the wonders of the Los Alamos National Laboratory's current work and its historic role in the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb.
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Stop 1: Bandelier National Monument
Directions from previous place: Leaving the museum, go south on 15th Street for 0.1 miles, then turn right onto Trinity Drive (NM-502). Follow for 1.5 miles, then turn a slight right onto NM-501 (West Jemez Road). Drive for 4.3 miles, then turn left onto NM-4 and drive for 6.3 miles. Turn right onto Entrance Road and drive for 0.8 miles until you reach Bandelier National Monument.
Distance from Previous Site: 22 miles / 35.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 13 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos is a wonderful place to see the ruins of many cliff houses and pueblo style dwellings of 13th Century Pueblo Indians.
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Stop 2: Valle Grande at the Valles Caldera National Preserve
Directions from previous place: Leaving the monument, go north on Entrance Road (toward NM-4) for 0.8 miles. Turn left onto NM-4 and drive for 15.0 miles. Turn right and drive for 5.7 miles. Turn slight right and drive for 1.7 miles. Turn sharp left and drive for 4.8 miles until you reach Valles Caldera.
Distance from Previous Site: 28 miles / 44.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 55 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 3 hours Once private ranch land, the Valles Caldera National Preserve contains the remains of Valle Grande, a volcano that erupted 1.4 million years ago. Natural hot springs and recreation abound in the area, making for an afternoon of activites sure to be remembered forever.
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Stop 3: Spence Hot Springs
Directions from previous place: Leaving Valles Caldera, go west for 0.6 miles, then turn left and drive for 6.1 miles. Turn right onto NM-4 and drive for 2.7 miles until you reach Spence Hot Springs.
Distance from Previous Site: 9 miles / 14.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour 30 minutes Take an afternoon soak in this natural hot spring located just past Battleship Rock.
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End: Jemez State Monument
Directions from previous place: Leaving Spence Hot Springs, go south on NM-4 for 6.7 miles. Jemez State Monument is located at 18164 NM-4.
Distance from Previous Site: 6.7 miles / 10.7 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Jemez State Monument, the last point on the itinerary, contains the ruins of an ancient pueblo of the Jemez people known as Giusewa and the ruins of a 17th Century Spanish Mission known as San Jose de los Jemez.
