Read an Excerpt
BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT: Falls Trail
THE EXTENSIVE TRAIL SYSTEM in Bandelier National Monument allows for a wide range of hikes, from leisurely strolls among ancient cliff dwellings to weeklong treks into backcountry wilderness. The Falls Trail is geared for casual hikers and has many rewarding views.
- DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 3-mile out-and-back plus optional 3-mile extension
- DIFFICULTY: Moderate
- SCENERY: Waterfalls, canyon woodland, tent rocks, majestic cliffs, ruins
- EXPOSURE: Some tree cover and canyon shade
- TRAIL TRAFFIC: Heavy
- TRAIL SURFACE: Packed dirt
- HIKING TIME: 2–3 hours
- DRIVING DISTANCE: 98 miles via San Ysidro or 104 miles via Santa Fe from the Big I
- ELEVATION GAIN: 6,088' at trailhead; 5882' at Upper Falls
- ACCESS: All trails open daily, sunrise–sunset, except December 25 and January 1. Day-use fees (subject to change): $25/vehicle or $15/person traveling on foot or bicycle. Annual Park Pass available. Federal Recreational Land Passes are accepted.
- WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: No; limited access on the Main Loop
- MAPS: Brochure map available at park entrance station; USGS Frijoles
- FACILITIES: Visitor center, gift shop, snack bar (subject to seasonal closure), restrooms, campgrounds, interpretive exhibits and programs
- CONTACT: National Park Service, nps.gov/band, 505-672-3861
- LOCATION: White Rock
- COMMENTS: No dogs allowed on trails. Shuttle bus from White Rock runs during the busy season, mid-May–mid-October.
- LAST-CHANCE FOOD/GAS: All services in White Rock (11 miles northeast); convenience store in La Cueva (32 miles northwest); gas station in San Ysidro (58 miles southwest)
DESCRIPTION
Bandelier is an obligatory day trip for many Santa Fe vacations. And for good reason: when you drive in from NM 4 at the top of Pajarito Plateau down to the Bandelier visitor center at the bottom of Frijoles Canyon, it’s like you’ve dropped into Shangri-La. You almost have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not in a dream.
The pockmarked sheer canyon walls of volcanic tuff look like the bubbles and crevices inside an English muffin and are worth a drive across the country to see! The abundant ponderosa on the canyon floor fill the air with the scent of pine. The perennial stream running the length of the canyon makes it feel cooler on a warm day. The abundant Abert’s squirrels with their big tufted ears and the mule deer with their short tails only add to what makes Bandelier special. And all of this is accented by the bright blue New Mexico sky, high above the canyon walls.
The combination of being a special place, abundant Ancestral Puebloan ruins, and great hiking trails makes Bandelier very popular. During the busy summer season (mid-May–mid-October) visitors arriving between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. need to take the shuttle bus from the visitor center on NM 4 in White Rock to enter the canyon.
The ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and large ruins on the floor of the canyon are clearly the main attractions at Bandelier. By the mid-1200s people were coalescing into larger groups and began building small villages. The height of development was in the 1400s, and by the mid-1500s the people had moved on to the Rio Grande. The people of Cochiti Pueblo consider the people of Frijoles Canyon to be their ancestors.
As for hiking, the hike described in this book follows the Falls Trail downstream to the upper falls and then visits the main ruins in the heart of the canyon. It is a good introduction to Bandelier.
There are many more hiking options, and with 70 miles of trails to choose from, picking a route in this 33,750-acre monument can be tough. To thoroughly appreciate Bandelier, you need at least three days—your pass is good for a week. Keep in mind, however, that Bandelier trails are not to be taken lightly. They wind in and out of numerous canyons cut 500 feet deep into the southernmost Pajarito Plateau. Formed by the ash flow on the eastern flank of the Valles Caldera, this sloping plateau is not as flat as you might guess.
The good news is that the trails are easy to follow. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, they seem as sturdy today as the day they were constructed. More about that project, and everything else you could possibly want to know about the monument, can be learned in the visitor center. Spend some time with the exhibits and dioramas to prepare for any questions that might pop up on the trail. For this hike, be sure to pick up the 15-page booklet A Guide to the Falls Trail.
Keep in mind that weather in the park can be unpredictable. So please make sure that you are prepared for sudden changes. Snow and ice buildup add extra challenges in the winter, especially in canyons. Sun exposure and thunderstorms can get fierce in the summer. Park rangers are diligent about monitoring current conditions, so it’s worth stopping by the visitor center before hitting the trail.
This hike begins at the south end of the backpacker’s parking area, across the stream from the visitor center. The trail descends 400 vertical feet in 1.5 miles on its way to the very impressive Upper Frijoles Falls. Prior to the 2011 Las Conchas fire, the trail went all the way down to the Rio Grande. The severe floods that followed the fire washed out the trail below the Upper Falls. The shortened trail is still a great hike and provides time to extend the trip for exploring the ruins on the back side of the visitor center.
The hike to the falls begins as a very pleasant walk along the stream through the woods. You’ll be passing both soft volcanic tuff and very hard basalt for the entire way. You’ll even pass various forms of tent rocks. As the walk progresses, you may notice that the stream has cut deeper into the tuff and is now way below the trail. It is right around that time that you’ll catch your first glance of the Rio Grande off in the distance and down below.
Although it may be difficult to tell, you are almost at the Upper Falls. The trail will end very soon at the Upper Falls overlook. The view is amazing. The falls plunge 80 feet at the point where the stream ran out of soft tuft to cut through and ran into a layer of hard basalt. The falls alone are wonderful, but there are also many different colors and layers from different volcanic events to add to the view. The pinkish rocks are volcanic tuff. The deep red layers were produced when one lava flow baked layers from previous flows. The dark, dense rock is basalt. And, if it is cold enough, you’ll see various ice formations beneath the falls.
Because this is the end of the trail, you’ll have to turn around. If you decide to call it a day, you’ll have done a very nice 3-mile hike in Shangri-La. If you’re not quite ready to leave, there’s more on the other side of the visitor center.
The Main Loop starts from the back side of the visitor center and passes Big Kiva and Tyuonyi (a 400-room ruin). From here the trail becomes very interesting as it uses a combination of stairways and paths to follow the cliff line so you can examine the dwellings and pass through fantastic tuff formations. You can climb ladders to reach many of the rooms and cavities dug out of the tuff. From the cliff dwellings, you can return to the visitor center or extend your walk a little more than a mile by going to Alcove House. You’ll have to climb 140 feet on a combination of four ladders and many steps to get to Alcove House. If you’re worried about heights, you won’t like the climb. Otherwise, it’s pretty cool.
From here you can return to the visitor center or do some more exploring. Doing the Main Loop and Alcove House adds about 3 miles to your hike for a total of 6 miles.
GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES N35° 46.714' W106° 16.200'
DIRECTIONS Bandelier is fewer than 40 linear miles from Albuquerque, but there are no reasonable shortcuts to its main entrance. From I-25 North, take Exit 276 to NM 599. Go north 13.5 miles to its end at US 84. Go north 14 miles to Pojoaque and turn left onto NM 502 (Los Alamos Highway). Go west 11.2 miles and bear left on NM 4 toward White Rock. (Note that the Tsankawi section, on the left 1.4 miles past the junction, features a 1.5-mile self-guided hike through an Ancestral Pueblo village.) Drive 12 miles on NM 4 to the main entrance.
Alternate route: From I-25 North, take Exit 242 at Bernalillo. Turn left on US 550 and go 23.5 miles to San Ysidro. Turn right on NM 4 and follow it 57 miles to the main entrance. Follow the road down to the visitor center. The Falls Trailhead is at the south end of the backpacker parking area.
