frijoles canyon

Trails lead to the cave dwellings along the canyon walls as well as into the back country. There is a nice picnic area across the river from the visitor center too.

This canyon hike has it all - cool woods, moderate cliffs with Anasazi ruins, petroglyphs, and at the end a 140 foot ladder and stone-step climb up to a cave used by the ancients. As a bonus the cottonwoods were at their peak in October 2014, adding to the beauty of the place. Truth to tell the pueblo ruins at Mesa Verde Nat. Park in Colorado are better preserved and much more interesting, but that doesn't detract from this very enjoyable hike.

Inside bandoliers national monument. Like looking at a mini Grand Canyon. Worth looking at. There are many hiking trials into the canyon.

Would have loved to have more time while visiting Bandelier to hike more of this canyon. It was absolutely gorgeous. Bring lots of water and hats!

Suggest you catch the shuttle that is free and runs from mid morning to late afternoon rather than drive your own car up and back.

This place is amazing. The loop hike isn't too bad if you are in reasonable shape. We did it in the summer with a 5 year old and 8 year old. Who both loved it. However, you will need sun screen and lots of water.

Beautiful short walks, longer hikes, climb to the Alcove House, walk through the ruins. Might get crowded in summer. Try spring, if you have a choice. Emerging cottonwoods are fantastic.

This ancestral Puebloan site is beautifully and intelligently curated. The mile+ trail in the central part of the canyon allows visitors to visualize what life was like here at the beginning of the second millennium C.E. Interpretations of human life and natural history in a remarkable setting. Since a major flood event a few years ago, visitors have been required to park in nearby White Rock at the top of the mesa, and take a free shuttle down to the bottom...about a 20 minute ride.

This is the main "tourist" area at marvelous Bandelier National Monument, a must-see for the visitor to the area. The main features are exquisite scenery and a number of restored Puebloan ruins reachable by a short (1 mile round trip, with extensions possible), easy trail, passable to wheelchairs up to a point. (It is IMPERATIVE to stay on the trail here.) More primitive trails lead from the visitor center into the superb Bandelier backcountry, but unfortunately, the trail from the visitor center down Frijoles Canyon to the Rio Grande, formerly a wonderful 5-mile (round trip) hike, was destroyed in the disastrous Las Conchas forest fire of 2011. You can still take it as far as Upper Frijoles Falls, but that's all. Access to the canyon is restricted during peak months (April to November), and you must leave your car at the new visitor center (outside the park in White Rock) and take a shuttle bus to the canyon. (During off months the road into the canyon is open to passenger vehicles.) The site is open year-round except for major holidays, and generally hikeable in all months, as its sheltered location in a deep canyon mitigates the summer heat and winter cold. September and October are my preferred times for visiting, as the crowds are reduced and hiking conditions are delightful, but there's no bad time to go to Bandelier.

Just a gorgeous walk in wonderful Bandelier National Monument. You don't have to walk far to get a tremendous view of the falls. You can turn around then or walk down to the river and the walk is flatter. Views are incredible!

A great place to take a hike. The surrounding canyon walls are colored from 2 separate volcanic explosions. One being white, and the other being red.

Come to be destressed by Earth Mother. Come to experience the kind of quiet that de-toxifies the heart and spirit. Heck, if you're quiet enough, you might even see widelife you've only seen in book until now!