Tuff Trail

Falls Trail Tour - Stop 1

~0 min drive

The story begins over a million years ago, with two major eruptions of the Jemez (HAY-mez) Volcano. Dense, destructive masses of hot ash, lava, and gases were ejected from the volcano and sped downhill, in what is called a pyroclastic flow. The landscape was buried in ash up t…

Falls Trail

~0 min drive

The Falls Trail begins a short distance from the park visitor center and travels down Frijoles Canyon to an 80 foot waterfall (unfortunately often dry in summer). The roundtrip is 3 miles with 400 foot elevation change. Lots of cool geology, plants, and wildlife on this hike t…

Falls Trail Tour - Introduction

~0 min drive

<p>Frijoles Canyon is a lush green ribbon in this arid environment. Creekside areas, known as riparian zones, are home to an amazing diversity of plant and animal life due to the relative abundance of water. Frijoles Creek is a permanent stream (runs year-round) for most of it…

Falls Trail Tour - Stop 2

~0 min drive

Compacted by their own weight over time, the ash flows became a soft rock known as tuff. The tuff is light in color, very porous, and has a sandy texture. In some areas, lightweight pumice is a major component of the tuff. Look for Swiss cheese-like patterns in the surfaces of…

Falls Trail Tour - Stop 4

~0 min drive

<p>For a few thousand years, the climate in Bandelier has been similar to what it is today. Currently, this area receives most of its 16 inches of annual precipitation in the form of snow and summer thunderstorms. Spring is often windy, as are the summer storms. Both wind and…

Falls Trail Tour - Stop 3

~0 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…

Pueblo Loop Trail

~0 min drive

The Main Pueblo Loop Trail is the most popular trail in Bandelier at 1.4 miles roundtrip, you see more archeological sites here than on any other trail. This trail begins directly behind the park visitor center and includes climbing ladders into cavates, petroglyphs, and a pav…

Ancient Life Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 1

~0 min drive

Welcome to the Main or Pueblo Loop Trail. This trail is 1.4 miles roundtrip and will take you past many archeological sites. Portions of the trail are relatively flat and can be traveled by wheelchairs and strollers. Other sections have numerous narrow stairs and can be diffic…

Geology Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 2

~0 min drive

Frijoles Canyon is carved into a thick layer of volcanic ash that over time compacted into a soft rock known as tuff. This ash was deposited over 1 million years ago in two separate eruptions of the Jemez Volcano, each spewing over 600 times more ash than Mt St Helens in 1980.…

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…