NPS Photo by Dale Coker

Painted Cave, with its numerous pictographs (painted drawings), is a unique archeological site in the backcountry of Bandelier.

There are two access points to start a hike to Painted Cave: the visitor center or the Dome Trailhead. The round-trip hike from the visitor center is 22 miles up and down steep-walled canyons on switchbacked trails with no reliable access to water. The round-trip from Dome Trailhead, which is located off of Forest Service Road 142, is 14.5 miles. This trailhead can be accessed only by high clearance vehicles. Wet weather or downed trees can make the trailhead inaccessible by vehicle.