Jemez Mountain Trail
Jemez Mountain Trail Tour

Departure:	Bradbury Science Museum, New Mexico
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.

Day 1

• 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.

• Stop 1: Bandelier National Monument

  

  From previous stop:	13 minutes / 22 mi (35.2 km)
  Directions:	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.
  Suggested time at this stop:	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.

• Stop 2: Valle Grande at the Valles Caldera National Preserve

  

  From previous stop:	55 minutes / 28 mi (44.8 km)
  Directions:	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.
  Suggested time at this stop:	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.

• Stop 3: Spence Hot Springs

  From previous stop:	20 minutes / 9 mi (14.4 km)
  Directions:	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.
  Suggested time at this stop:	1 hour 30 minutes

  Take an afternoon soak in this natural hot spring located just past Battleship Rock.

• End: Jemez State Monument

  From previous stop:	10 minutes / 6.7 mi (10.7 km)
  Directions:	Leaving Spence Hot Springs, go south on NM-4 for 6.7 miles. Jemez State Monument is located at 18164 NM-4.

  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.

Totals for Day 1

Total Distance Traveled:	65.7 miles / 105.1 km
Total Travel Time:	1 hour 38 minutes
Total Stopping Time:	5 hours 30 minutes