WaterfallNear Me

Upper Frijoles Falls

Los Alamos County, New Mexico

Your visit at a glance

Waterfall height
Not recorded
Location
Los Alamos County, New Mexico
Access status
National monument trail to the Upper Falls; entrance fee
The walk
1.5 miles one way, descending 400 feet
Ground & access
Steep drop-offs and plank bridges across the creek. Not accessible to wheelchairs or strollers. Treat creek water before drinking.
National Park Service: Falls Trail, Bandelier National Monument
Upper Frijoles Falls, NM
Upper Frijoles Falls, NM
Photo creditPhoto: MateoTimateo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Upper Frijoles Falls is the waterfall at the end of the Falls Trail on Frijoles Creek in Bandelier National Monument. The trail starts at the end of the Backpacker’s Parking Lot near the visitor center and descends 400 feet over 1.5 miles to the Upper Falls. The trail once continued to the Lower Falls and the Rio Grande, but floods in 2011 and 2013 destroyed that section, so the Upper Falls is the end of the trail. Return the same way.

Plan your visit

Falls Trail from the end of the Backpacker’s Parking Lot near the Bandelier visitor center down Frijoles Canyon to the Upper Falls

The National Park Service gives the trail as 1.5 miles long with a 400-foot descent to the Upper Falls. The return climbs the same height.

Steep drop-offs and plank bridges across the creek. Not accessible to wheelchairs or strollers. Treat creek water before drinking.

Where to start

Backpacker’s Parking Lot near the Bandelier visitor center in Frijoles Canyon. A seasonal shuttle runs between the Frey Trail parking lot and the visitor center; it is not mandatory unless canyon parking lots are full, and cars are turned around when all lots are full.

Timing & water

Not cleared of snow in winter and can be extremely icy. The park closes at sunset.

Before you go

Bandelier entrance fee: $25 per private vehicle, or $15 per person on foot or bicycle (ages 16 and over).

Visitor information
Visit sources

More waterfalls nearby

Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.

Explore New Mexico

Waterfall location

Los Alamos County, New Mexico.

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