1600 miles of fun Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument {Part 2}

This year my daughter was able to get the Every Kid in a park, National Parks 4th grade pass.  We put her NP pass to use this past fall when we drove to New Mexico on our road trip.

About the pass:
Beginning each September, if you are a US fourth grader (including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age) you can download your own voucher to gain unlimited, free access to any federal lands or waters for a year! Head over to https://www.everykidinapark.gov to learn more.

On our way to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument we stopped at the Blue Hole
in Santa Rosa, NM.

 

Blue Hole appears in the midst of the desert like a great blue gem. ( Agua Negra Chiquita) Once known as Blue Lake, it is one of seven sister lakes connected underground by a vast system of water. The water is a constant 62 degrees.

 Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is a remarkable outdoor laboratory, offering an opportunity to observe, study, and experience the geologic processes that shape natural landscapes.  The National Monument, on the Pajarito Plateau in north-central New Mexico, includes a national recreation trail and ranges from 5,570 feet to 6,760 feet above sea level.  It is for foot travel only, and contains two segments that provide opportunities for hiking, bird watching, geologic observation, and plant identification.

We hiked both the cave loop and slot canyon trail. The girls loved climbing and hiking. We had a picnic lunch after our hike and we stopped on the way out and turned in their booklet for another Junior Ranger Badge.