Upper Frijoles Falls

One for the list

Is it plungeworthy?

—feet tall

A short, pretty falls.

Scale12/60

Documentation10/20

Character8/20

The details

Coordinates: 35.76337, -106.25976

Get directions →

About Upper Frijoles Falls

Upper Frijoles Falls is a waterfall in New Mexico.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Upper Frijoles Falls 3/10 — one for the list. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

An 80-foot waterfall on Frijoles Creek, reached by the Falls Trail descending through Bandelier National Monument's canyon country — volcanic tuff walls, plank bridges, and a creek that has carved through it all.

The trail used to continue past a second falls to the Rio Grande; flood damage after the 2011 Las Conchas Fire ended that. The maintained trail now stops at the Upper Falls overlook — which is the view worth coming for anyway.

Getting there

Trailhead: Falls Trail from the Backpacker's Parking Lot near the Bandelier Visitor Center
Parking: At the visitor center area — but note the shuttle rule below
Road: Paved park roads
Hike: 3 mi round trip, 400 ft of climb (Moderate — 400 feet down on the way in, back up on the way out, with steep dropoffs along the trail)
Heads up: Mid-morning to mid-afternoon in the busy season, private cars can't drive into Frijoles Canyon — a mandatory shuttle runs from the White Rock Visitor Center 9am–3pm (exceptions include visitors traveling with pets and disability placards). Drive in before 9am or after 3pm to skip it

When to go

Year-round; spring snowmelt is the biggest water. Winter ice makes the dropoffs genuinely dangerous — the trail isn't cleared.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Bandelier entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (7-day), $15 per person on foot or bike — cards only, the park doesn't take cash
Dogs: Not allowed on trails
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Camping: Juniper Campground in the park; none along the Falls Trail
Warnings: Steep unfenced dropoffs — keep children close. Not wheelchair or stroller accessible.

Researched from National Park Service — Falls Trail, Bandelier · National Park Service — Bandelier Fees & Passes. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Upper Frijoles Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.