Frijoles Canyon
Frijoles Canyon
4.5
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Canyon in the Bandelier National Monument offering spectacular scenic beauty and ancient ruins.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
52 reviews
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Noraatc
Sudbury, MA39,232 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
If you have time, do not miss stopping at the Frijoles Canyon Overlook.
Beautiful Frijoles Canyon was carved over thousands of years by the waters of Frijoles Creek. Breathtaking view near the gates to Bandelier National Monument!
Beautiful Frijoles Canyon was carved over thousands of years by the waters of Frijoles Creek. Breathtaking view near the gates to Bandelier National Monument!
Written 15 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Freddy4
Tulsa, OK358 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
My husband and I (55 and 61) visited and did the Pueblo loop trail. It was fantastic. I highly recommend if visiting. We did Los Alamos earlier in the day and drove here and spent time doing the hike and enjoying the spectacular views and history. Not to be missed.
Written 26 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Texan0957
Texas39 contributions
Oct 2015 • Family
Bandelier Nstional Monument is about a 30 min drive from Santa Fe. You drive to a tourist info center where you get on a shuttle bus and they drive you into the park. I am told after October 11 you do not HAVE to take the shuttle. The shuttle is fine as the winding narrow road would not be fun to drive. You are greeted by a Park Ranger that gives you a brief overview of the Park and makes sure you pay you entry fee into the Park. My adult daughter and I hiked to Alcove House and up 4 ladders to get a great
great cliff dwelling. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to make the circle. I was a bit afraid of the ladders but they were not too difficult . Beautiful scenery. There has been tremendous damage to the area due to major flooding they are in a re-building process. The Cliff dwellings are still accessible and it was a wonderful trip for a 57 year old and a 36 year women. If you love the study of cliff dwellings you will love Bandelier National monument . There is a snack bar the is just that snacks. The NPS bookstore is nicely stocked with hats, t-shirts, magnets,books .
great cliff dwelling. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to make the circle. I was a bit afraid of the ladders but they were not too difficult . Beautiful scenery. There has been tremendous damage to the area due to major flooding they are in a re-building process. The Cliff dwellings are still accessible and it was a wonderful trip for a 57 year old and a 36 year women. If you love the study of cliff dwellings you will love Bandelier National monument . There is a snack bar the is just that snacks. The NPS bookstore is nicely stocked with hats, t-shirts, magnets,books .
Written 1 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
canbelto
Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States2,405 contributions
Nov 2012
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.
Written 1 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carol M
Santa Fe, NM8 contributions
Jul 2013 • Friends
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.
Written 27 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J G
Portland, OR40 contributions
Apr 2019
Crystal clear waters run through this majestic canyon. We spend a beautiful day hiking in and out as we explored the trails, ancient pueblos, and cliff dwellings. Bring a picnic lunch and spend the day.
Written 18 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rmhtx
houston16 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
Bandalier National Monument and the canyon were a highlight of our recent santa fe trip! About an hour's drive from santa fe, we elected to go at three pm to forego having to take the shuttle. The shuttle ride is a 30 minute deal from about halfway down the peak. Nothing wrong with it, but I'd rather drive! The main trail was amazing. Lots of cave dwellings, with somewhat easy access stairways and ladders. I am seriously out of shape and managed it well with tennis shoes and two bottles of water. There are lots of places to loop back if you don't want to do longer or more strenuous trails, of which they have many. Definitely recommended! Hard to find this kind of beauty and wonder from your day to day. All in all took us about four and a half hours from the time we left santa fe, drove up there, hiked for two hours and drove back, right on time for dinner!
Written 8 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave N
Los Alamos, NM214 contributions
May 2015 • Friends
Frijoles Canyon is where you'll find the most accessible and best known attractions of Bandelier National Monument: the major ruins, the falls, and the visitor's center. The canyon is a spectacular melange of Bandelier Tuff, older basalt flows and even a maar volcano (don't worry, it's extinct). Frijoles means "beans" but the canyon is probably misnamed -- nearby Ancho Canyon is probably the original Frijoles Canyon. Ideally you should find time to hike up to the Alcove House, then down to the Upper Falls. There's nothing quite like either one anywhere else. You can access the upper crossing of the canyon from the Ponderosa campground without paying a park fee. Bit of a hike but pleasant. Likewise, the bottom of the canyon at the Rio Grande can be attained by going down to Ancho Rapids via a Department of Energy trail and then along the river to the confluence. This is a major undertaking and not for the weak of heart, lung or leg.
Written 19 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
piotzar
Boston, MA242 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
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.
Written 14 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cymro_SF
Santa Fe, NM45 contributions
Oct 2012
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.
Written 24 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can you see them by just driving?? I’m disabled and unable to hike.
Written 15 December 2018
There is one overlook and also a shuttle from various areas of town.
Written 16 December 2018
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