Congress created the Dome Wilderness in New Mexico in 1980. The wilderness area is around 5200 acres (2,104.4 ha) on the Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest. The wilderness area borders the Bandelier Wilderness in Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument is a National Monument preserving the homes of the Ancestral Pueblo People. It is named after Swiss anthropologist Adolph Bandelier, who researched the cultures of the area. Bandelier was designated a National Monument on February 11, 1916, and most of its backcountry...

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The Dome Wilderness is easily accessible from Los Alamos, New Mexico, by paved and gravel roads. There are several trailheads on the national forest and some trails extend into the national monument, allowing for long loop hikes. Like the rest of the Santa Fe National Forest, the wilderness area has many prehistoric sites.

Because a fire

Dome Fire

The Dome Fire was a destructive wildfire in the Jemez Mountains in the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Devastating portions of the Santa Fe National Forest and Bandelier National Monument, the fire exploded on April 26, 1996, starting from an improperly extinguished campfire and...

destroyed much of the Dome Wilderness in 1996, the stark landscape stands out in contrast to other parts of the forest. The highest point in the wilderness area is near St. Peter's Dome.