Frijolito Trail is a 2.6 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Pena Blanca, New Mexico that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until October.
Bandelier National Monument charges a fee to enter. Fees are $25 per vehicle or $20 per motorcycle. If you are entering on foot or bike the fee is $12 per person. You can also purchase a park specific annual pass for $45.
January 18, 2021beautiful views. if you’re afraid of heights. would not recommend. gets very high and close to the edge. top is leveled. some parts were icy. did the hike without spikes
January 18, 2021November 21, 2020November 8, 2020lovely views at the top, good workout!
July 5, 2020Why does the trail description state that the Frijolito Trail is near Pena Blanca? It is not--it's in Bandelier National Monument. I have hiked this trail many times. It begins with a 400 foot ascent up the south face of Frijoles Canyon. I'm an old man (in my sixties) and it's currently taking me 12 minutes to get to the top. Stop to take in the view after reaching the top. The marker for Frijolito Ruin is no longer present, however, it is located at the first trail junction on the mesa top one minute after reaching the top of the cliff. The trail to the left at this junction is the Burro Trail (down to the Rio Grande River in 5.5 miles) while the trail to the right is the Frijoles Rim Trail. Frijolito is an unexcavated ruin now covered by vegetation. If you continue on the Frijoles Rim Trail after 20 minutes (at a brisk pace) you will encounter the second trail fork on the mesa top. You can continue straight ahead if you wish to stay on the Frijoles Rim Trail. Alternatively, you can take the right fork and head back down the south cliff face of Frijoles Canyon with long gorgeous views of the lower canyon. At the beginning of this descent, you can look across the canyon and see the ladders leading up to Alcove House. There is one short section on this descent with major exposure for those afraid of heights. Back at that second trail fork--if you continue straight ahead (west) for less than another minute you will encounter a third trail fork. Going left is the Mid Alamo Trail that one poster said he could not find which leads south across the entire mesa top (with two small canyons) to the rim of majestic Alamo Canyon and beyond. Scout around the top of Alamo here to the left for some faint petroglyphs. Continuing straight ahead at this third trail fork goes for another 5 miles or so on the Frijoles Rim Trail which eventually leads to several more trail forks. Frijolito Ruin is itself not very impressive--I do this hike more for the scenery and the solitude as you will rarely encounter other hikers. If you have an experienced eye, you can spot remains of long ago toppled ruins on both the Mid Alamo and Frijoles Rim Trails. I would not due this trail if there is ice or snow present.
March 6, 2019Great hike. I think it is pretty and the hike is challenging at times. The reward is great views.
February 21, 2019We completed this trail in a clockwise direction figuring the cold wind would be behind us and the steep switchbacks easier to do while ascending rather than descending. While probably correct the descent (long) was hard work in the sometimes thick snow that appeared to cover previous frozen tracks of walkers or rocks etc. The hike was still enjoyable and the snow masks some of the steeper areas for those not keen on heights. The many ruins across the valley make this trail special.
September 1, 2018This hike is a ravine hike! The first 30 minutes involves a steep climb with switchbacks. Doable but challenging, not for the faint hearted. The top involves a level walk. The final mile is a slow decent that has a narrow path along the edge of the steep ravine wall. Definitely worth the effort for the views.
February 10, 2018Great offshoot from the main loop. I ran across it by accident and was glad I did. It’ is easy to accomplish because of the switchbacks. I wasn’t aware of the slow decent until I came back down. My loss. It was great for exercise and scenery. This is one of the best areas to take kids. I wish I had known about this park when mine were small.
January 24, 2018Beginner hiker and in need of some conditioning so it was a little bit of a challenge for me. Some areas were snow covered so I took it a bit slower at points. It was fun to challenge myself and definitely worth it.
August 30, 2017In a word, sublime. Well worth all the switchbacking. Could not locate mid Alamo Canyon trail. Likely closed. Frijolito ruins give some idea of how Bandelier must have appeared before excavation. A wonderful morning walk.
August 14, 2017The climb up was a little fierce. Once we got to the top the walk was pleasant and the views wonderful. The gradual decline was breathtaking and a little bit frightening. But worth it none the less.
May 28, 2017
First to Reviewfreaking awesome!
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