Day Use Entry
Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument Ticketed Entry
There are two steps to complete to gain admission to the Monument:
- Reserve a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ticket Reservation from this webpage. The Monument is open for visitation Thursday through Monday, from February 1 to December 14, 2025 (excluding designated closure dates listed below).
- Purchase a Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass from Cochiti Pueblo, via https://www.purplepass.com/cochitikktr AFTER purchasing your Recreation.gov ticket.
Review the BLM Ticket Reservation fees and information on this webpage AND the Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass fees https://www.purplepass.com/cochitikktr to understand all fees and visitation details prior to making a reservation.
The Monument, managed by the BLM, has implemented a modified fee and reservation system to help provide a more positive visitor experience and protect the Monument’s fragile resources. Reservations are available Thursday through Monday, from February 1 to December 14, 2025 (excluding designated closure dates listed below). After the seasonal closure (December 15, 2025, to January 31, 2026), please check back here for updates regarding next year’s BLM Ticket availability.
Visiting the Monument
- All visitors must check in at the Cochiti Visitor Center prior to entry into the Monument.
- Check-in can begin no earlier than 7:45 a.m. and will continue through 1:00 p.m.
- Visitors will be led into the Monument by pilot vehicles.
- First pilot vehicle will leave at 8:00 a.m.
- Pilot vehicles will leave the Cochiti Visitor Center regularly.
- Last pilot vehicle will leave the Cochiti Visitor Center at 1:00 p.m.
- Pilot vehicles will escort visitors back to the Cochiti Visitor Center.
- Visitors are asked to wait for a pilot vehicle to leave the area (unless there is an emergency).
- All visitors must exit the Monument by 4:00 p.m.
- The Monument is open Thursday through Monday, and will be closed the following days:
- Friday before Easter
- Saturday before Easter
- Easter Sunday
- Monday after Easter
- May 3
- July 13 and 14
- July 25
- Nov. 1
- Thanksgiving Day
- Dec. 15 – Jan. 31 (seasonal closure)
About the Monument
Designated by U.S. Congress in 2001, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is part of the Pajarito Plateau in north-central New Mexico. Wind and water erosion has created unique cone-shaped rock formations from pumice, ash, and tuff deposits from volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. This area is recognized as the ancestral homelands of the Cochiti and is managed today in close cooperation with the Pueblo. Visitors can experience the geology and cultural significance of this area by hiking the challenging Slot Canyon Trail or taking a moment to reflect at Veterans’ Memorial Overlook.
Select a date to see a list of times
Need to Know
- How many reservations do I need?
Reserve a BLM Ticket Reservation from this webpage for every visitor in your group.
- Reservation Guidelines
Reservations are required for every visitor and must be made online and only through Recreation.gov. BLM Ticket Reservations are non-transferable, and resale or auction of BLM Ticket Reservations are prohibited. Tickets are not sold on-site at the Monument. The call center does not have additional inventory.
- Administrative Fee
Reservation transactions will now include a Recreation.gov administrative fee of $1.00 per ticket for all visitors in addition to the reservation fee, raising the total fee for BLM Ticket Reservations from $5.00 to $6.00 per person. Youth tickets and tickets reserved using America the Beautiful Passes are not excluded from the administrative fee and will cost $1.00 per ticket.
- How do I use my Interagency/America the Beautiful Pass?
Interagency Pass holders can use their pass to waive the reservation fee associated with the BLM Ticket Reservation for themselves and up to three additional guests. While making your reservation in Recreation.gov, add all members of your group into the “Interagency Pass” category to ensure reservation fees are waived for you and your guests (up to four guests total, including the pass holder). The administrative fee of $1.00 per ticket cannot be waived by the Interagency Pass. Upon checkout, you will enter your pass holder information and pass number.
** Valid entrance passes currently accepted are: Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, Interagency Access Pass, Interagency Volunteer Pass, Interagency Military Pass, Interagency 4th Grade Pass, Golden Age, Golden Access. Valid ID that matches the pass is required at the entrance station.
*** Please note, every visitor must also purchase a Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass. Interagency Passes cannot be used to waive fees associated with the Tribal Access Pass. ***
- Tribal Access Pass
All visitors to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument (Monument) must also purchase a Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass which is only available via the website for Cochiti Pueblo (https://www.purplepass.com/cochitikktr). The Cochiti Pueblo’s Tribal Access Pass and the BLM Ticket Reservation are separate. All visitors must have obtained both to access the Monument. The Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass is not eligible to be waived by the Interagency Pass.
- Entry Rules
This reservation allows entry into the Monument between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. All visitors must have a BLM Ticket Reservation and Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass to enter. The last pilot car will leave the Cochiti Visitor Center at 1:00 p.m. Visitors must exit the Monument by 4:00 p.m.
- Park Closing Time
Park Rangers begin closing procedures at 2:30 p.m. from the end of the Slot Canyon Trail on top of the mesa. The Monument will close promptly at 4:00 p.m. in consideration of the local gateway community of Cochiti Pueblo.
- Facilities and Trails
The trails are for foot traffic only. No horses, bikes, dogs, drones, or motorized vehicles.
The Cave Loop Trail is 1.2 miles long, rated as easy.
The Slot Canyon Trail is an out-and-back trail which is 1.5 miles one way (3 miles total) into a narrow canyon with a steep (630-ft) climb to the mesa top for excellent views of the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, Sandia mountains and the Rio Grande Valley. It is considered moderately strenuous, requiring the use of hands and feet to scramble up and through narrow cracks and along steep ledges above drop-offs. Sturdy footwear is recommended.
The Veterans Memorial Trail is a 1-mile-long loop trail, rated as very easy. While the Trail is flat and graveled, wheelchair use may be difficult.
The Overlook path from the Accessible parking location is paved and wheelchair accessible.
- Weather
Summer temperatures can exceed 90 degrees. During the summer monsoon season, the canyon may flash flood, and lightning may strike the ridges.
Winter can bring snowstorms and temperatures below freezing. Please be aware that trails may become icy.
Both winter and summer storms could cause the Monument to close.
- Services
No food or water is available at the Monument. Visitors are advised to bring at least one quart (one liter) of water per person.
- Amenities
Accessible picnic tables, shelters, and vault toilets are available at both trailheads.
- Leave No Trace
Please leave natural resources and cultural artifacts, rocks, and structures alone. Pack out what you brought in and take only pictures home with you.
- Directions
All visitors must check-in at the Cochiti Visitor Center prior to entry into the Monument. Please be sure to make your first stop at the Visitor Center and wait for a pilot vehicle prior to entering the Monument.
From Albuquerque, head north on I-25 and take the exit for Santo Domingo/Cochiti Lake Recreation Area (Exit 259) off I-25 onto NM 22. Turn right into the Cochiti Visitor Center for check-in.
From Santa Fe, head south on I-25 and take the Cochiti Pueblo Exit 264 off I-25 onto NM 16. Turn right off NM 16 onto NM 22, and turn right into the Cochiti Visitor Center for check-in.
Note: following the GPS coordinates may take you through tribal lands that are not accessible. Please follow the directions above and access the Monument from I-25.
