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New Mexico
445 ft
Gain
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Why you'll love it
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 16
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<p>Upper Falls was created by magma that cooled in the throat of the volcano as the eruptions ceased. This durable stone was resistant to erosion and withstood the downcutting of Frijoles Creek. This waterfall is approximately 80 feet tall. <br /> <br /> Upper Falls is the final stop on the trail. Frijoles Canyon formed when “el Rito de los Frijoles” (little river of beans) cut its way through layers of ash from immense volcanic eruptions. Today most changes are slow, as the soft rock walls of the canyon erode one minuscule particle of stone at a time, the grains giving way to the actions of wind, water, or freeze-thaw cycles. Plants also play a role in shaping the canyon. Their roots penetrate susceptible areas and pave the way for water or ice to break a rock’s grip on its neighbor.On occasion, this slow, plodding process is rapidly advanced by flash flooding. In these instances, rocks, trees, and water are carried ever further on their journey to the Rio Grande and ultimately the ocean. The cacophony of such events soon quiets again, leaving the sounds of gentle water babbling and murmuring over rocks, the strident call of a Steller’s jay, and the thump of an occasional rock as it loses its slow, ongoing fight with gravity.</p>
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 15
~0 min drive
<p>See if you can spot where Frijoles Creek joins the Rio Grande. In 2011 the massive Las Conchas wildfire heavily burned the upper reaches of this canyon. In the years that followed, several huge floods changed the landscape of Frijoles Canyon. The creek normally flows around…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 13
~0 min drive
<p>Are you starting to notice some new plants? Leaving behind the towering ponderosas and scrubby oaks, you are now passing broad-leaved yucca (<i>Yucca baccata</i>), mormon tea (<i>Ephedra viridis</i>), and walkingstick cholla (<i>Opuntia imbricate</i>). The environment here…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 12
~0 min drive
<p>This is a boundary of the Bandelier Wilderness. This area was designated as a wilderness in 1976 under the Wilderness Act of 1964. Wilderness areas are given the highest form of protection the government can give to a public land to protect them for future generations.</p>
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 11
~0 min drive
<p>Look at the northeast wall of the canyon. Can you notice the boundary between basalt and tuff? This line represents one wall of the old Rio Grande waterway. Before the eruption of the Jemez Volcano, the big river flowed here. Its channel was changed and pushed southward by…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 10
~0 min drive
<p>Abert’s squirrels, with their tufted ears and long white tails, are one common inhabitant here. Abert’s squirrels live near ponderosa pines, which provide an important food source for the squirrels. They will turn the cones slowly, much as you may rotate an ear of corn as y…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 8
~1 min drive
<p><i>Note: Post 8 is currently lying down on the trail, so look carefully!</i><br /> <br /> Look at the small group of oaks here. Several species of oaks can be found not only in riparian areas like this one, but also in the piñon-juniper woodland and mixed conifer forests of…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 7
~1 min drive
<p><em>Note: There is no post currently for Stop 7, so just find a nice shady stop to pause!</em><br /> <br /> In the canyon, water-loving plants like narrowleaf cottonwood (<i>Populus angustifolia</i>) and willow (<i>Salix spp</i>) grow in profusion. Cottonwoods get their nam…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 6
~1 min drive
<p>Frijoles Creek begins in springs on the rim of the Valles Caldera, some 4,000 feet above this spot. Melting snow and summer rain adds to the flow. The creek used to flow year-round in this area. However, after major flash floods in 2011 and 2013, it often runs dry at this l…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 5
~1 min drive
<p>Here you can see tuff formations called tent rocks. These form when a more durable material shields portions of the softer rock from erosion. This coating can form in a variety of ways, and several of these types can be seen in Frijoles Canyon. Escaping vapor can heat the r…
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 3
~1 min drive
<p>This is a geologically active area, and the Jemez Volcano was not the only one to erupt. Look below the tuff, and you can see basalt, a much darker and harder rock. These older deposits from the Cerros del Rio Volcanic Field were created in a very different way. The basalt…
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