Life is short: Time to build a great vacation around a spectacular 
island, forest, cliff dwelling, canyon, fossil bed, tower, or volcano at
 one of these national monuments and fall in love with the West all over
 again.Bandelier National Monument, NM: A must for your bucket list, Bandelier has been entrancing people for nearly 1000 years, starting with the Ancestral Pueblo people who first built homes in the cliffs of Frijoles Canyon. But archeology isn't the only reason to visit. The monument is stunningly beautiful, with dramatic mesas and broad views across Northern New Mexico. 
This article originally appeared on Sunset.com: &quot;The West's Top National Monuments&quot; Photo: Sunset Magazine