Water Canyon Overlook Trail

Soft Rock Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 10

~5 min drive

The cliff in front of you has numerous holes, some big and some small. These holes are created by wind and water erosion of the volcanic tuff we talked about earlier. Water freezes and thaws in the permeable rock breaking off big and small pieces (most are microscopic). Wind p…

First Cavate Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 11

~5 min drive

You have arrived at the first of three ladders you can climb into cavates (CAVE-eights), human excavated openings. Although sometimes used for housing, the main purpose of cavates was often food storage. Remember the Ancestral Pueblo people lived here for over 400 years and th…

Talus House Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 12

~5 min drive

This is Talus House, reconstructed in 1920 to show the structures that would have been found in front of many of the cavates when the Ancestral Pueblo people were still occupying the canyon. For many years park staff believed the reconstruction was inaccurate due to what appea…

Frijoles Canyon Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 13

~5 min drive

Stop and look out over the canyon. Does it look lush, and green compared to the mesa above it? As we discussed earlier this is a riparian area that has greater diversity of plants and wildlife than other nearby areas. Although much farming was done on the surrounding mesas som…

Cavate Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 14

~5 min drive

Have you notice anything different about the cavates you have entered by climbing ladders? They all have concrete floors. Without the concrete to protect them from our footwear, the natural cavate floors would have been worn deeply by our entering these significant features. R…

Cave Kiva Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 15

~5 min drive

This is Cave Kiva. Unlike the other cavates you could climb into, this one is a kiva. Do you remember earlier on this walk when you saw Big Kiva? This cavate was used for the same purpose as Big Kiva. Unfortunately, this kiva cavate must be smoked and replastered regularly to…

Frey Trail

~5 min drive

The Frey Trail is a historic trail that travels from the park visitor center in Frijoles Canyon up onto the mesa and Juniper Family Campground. Distance one way is 2 miles and approximately 550 feet elevation change. Lots of great vistas and closeup encounters with the Piñon-…

Frey Trail Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 16

~5 min drive

The dirt trail to your right is the Frey Trail, named after an early concessionaire in the park. If you follow this trail, it will switchback its way out of the canyon, gaining approximately 500 feet in the climb. There are excellent views back into the canyon as the trail asc…

Big Kiva Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 4

~5 min drive

Looking at this structure you might be thinking cistern or well, but water collection was not the purpose of this construction. Imagine this stone lined circular depression with a roof supported by large wooden beams or vigas. Those timbers would have been covered by layers of…

Ancient Life Pueblo Loop Trail Stop 1

~5 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…