Frijolito Ruins loop

A short loop trail to a pueblo that tree ring data indicates was built 1431-1447. In addition to the ruins, you also get good views of the canyon bottom, and views in all directions from the mesa top.

The Frijolito ruins and the sign indicating where they are

Hike data:

Controlling agency:

Bandelier National Monument

Location in the state:

North-central; Bandelier National Monument

Trailhead waypoint(s):

FRIJOLITTH

Elevation:

start:	6066ft; 1849m	end:	6066ft; 1849m
min:	6066ft; 1849m	max:	6558ft; 1999m

Elevation gain/loss:

495 ft; 151 m

Length:

2.82 mi; 4.54 km.

How long it took us (HH:MM):

02:22.

9/10

1.27 people/hour

Excellent

$10.00. The fee provides aaccess for seven days.

When we hiked it:

2003-10-26.

Trailhead facilities:

Water, trash cans, toilets, picnic area. The trailhead is at the visitor center.

Special features of the hike:

History, scenery.

When to hike:

All year. Watch out for snow and ice in winter and spring. Summer is likely to be hot.

General comments:

The park service requests that you stay on the trails. It is illegal to disturb any archaeological sites.

Maps:

Online 1:25,000 from topozone.com
Online 1:100,000 from topozone.com
Online from terraserver-usa.com
Aerial photo from terraserver-usa.com
USGS 1:24000 topo quad Frijoles
USGS 1:100000 topo quad Los Alamos
USGS 1:250000 topo quad Albuquerque
Trails Illustrated Bandelier National Monument

Getting to the trailhead:

From the visitor center, walk into the picnic area and turn right. The trailhead is near the restrooms in the picnic area.

The hike:

	The trail starts off flat, in the valley bottom. It does not remain flat for long.
Right after the trailhead, the trail splits; go left. The trail is well-signed, so the choice is an easy one. The trail starts heading up almost immediately, and you are walking up switchbacks. The trail sometimes has steps made out of rocks in it. From the switchbacks, you get great views of the north canyon wall, the Frey trail, and the Ruins trail.
	From the mesa top, which you reach after about 40 minutes, you have great views east, including the VLBA radio telescope antenna and the Sangre de Cristo mountains. In this photo, you can see the view east, including the trail on which you just arrived.
The ruins are unexcavated, so most of what you are seeing is humps covered with vegetation. However, we saw this rock where somebody placed pottery shards.
	From the ruins, take the trail heading west. You get a nice view of the Jemez mountains as you head this way.
On the mesa top, look at the ant hills. They are often full of small crystals. You also see a lot of these crystals all over.
	At (FRIJOLEY1) you come to a junction. Take the trail to the right, down into the canyon. The trail descends gently, which is a surprise, but gentle on the knees.
Again as you head down the canyon, you get great views into the canyon, and of the ruins on the canyon floor and in the north wall of the canyon.
	As you head down, when the trail and walls turn white, look for the moss growing around the bases of the oaks on the right side of the trail. This trail eventually ends up at the junction right behind the restrooms in the picnic area.