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Trails Reopen

By KRWG News

New Mexico – After a summer of fire and floods, officials at Bandelier National Monument reopened the park's backcountry trails to hikers on Thanksgiving Day.

Visitors were welcomed to explore the northern New Mexico park, but Superintendent Jason Lott said they should be prepared for rough conditions.

Flames from the largest blaze in the state's recorded history passed through almost two-thirds of the park. The flames were followed by severe flash flooding in all the canyons. Many sections of trail were severely eroded, and some were destroyed.

"Between the Las Conchas Fire in June and the floods that followed it, the Bandelier Wilderness is a much wilder place than it used to be, beautiful but in a different way than before," Lott said.

Since thousands of forested acres were burned, park officials also warned of the resulting hazard of trees falling across trails. All bridges have also washed away, meaning hikers might have to do some scrambling in certain areas.

Park officials recommended that hikers bring their own water, since streams are still carrying sediment and ash, and that they bring along a good map and be familiar with wilderness wayfinding. Many of the directional signs along the trails are gone.

All park trails except the wooden ladders that lead up to Alcove House will be open for day use. Backpack camping will be allowed on mesa tops but not in canyons. Wilderness permits are required for overnight trips.

National forest lands on the western edge of the park remain closed, so trailheads in that area aren't accessible.

It was three months after the fire that park officials first allowed visitors to return via shuttle bus to the monument, which showcases a collection of prehistoric Native American archaeological sites and a historic visitor center at the bottom of Frijoles Canyon.

Some 8,000 visitors took advantage of the shuttles until late October, when park officials began allowing vehicular traffic down the winding road that leads to the canyon bottom.

Several day-use trails, including the Tyuonyi Overlook, Burnt Mesa and Cerro Grande, remain open along with the Main Loop Trail that takes visitors through the largest concentration of archaeological sites.

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Online:

http://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.