Continuing my Friday series of memorable hikes…
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kasha-Katuwe means “white cliffs” in the Pueblo language. I didn’t know the difference between a national monument and a national park so I looked it up and this is the answer I found:
“To laypeople, the distinction between lands designated as national parks and national monuments can appear finite. The primary difference lies in the reason for preserving the land: National parks are protected due to their scenic, inspirational, education, and recreational value. National monuments have objects of historical, cultural, and/or scientific interest, so their content is quite varied.”
In Tent Rocks National Monument, volcanic rock and ash have formed unusual slot canyons and tent-shape rocks that make up the landscape of this very unique park.
There is a 1.2 mile trail through a slot canyon up to a lookout point and we hiked it one day last fall. The slots through this canyon trail were sometimes very tight, unlike the slot canyon in The Narrows in Zion National Park. The Tent Rocks trail was interesting because of all the distinctive, smooth formations and conical-shaped rocks. 
The vistas at the top were great and at the bottom we hiked another mile along the base of these rock formations. It was a fun hike. I had never heard of this park until we planned our trip to New Mexico, but what a wonderful find!
I always enjoy discovering and exploring new places. There are so many in this world…