New Mexico · National Monument trail

Falls Trail Tour - Stop 14

in New Mexico · centroid 52 mi from Albuquerque

Across the canyon, you can see layered volcanic rock. These are sediments from an ancient maar volcano. A maar volcano is one that erupts through water, such as an underground aquifer. When underground water is suddenly heated, it expands into a significant volume of steam.

This expansion creates a vertical eruption of steam, water, molten rock, and debris. Maar volcanos are low and wide. This one is approximately two miles across and 100 feet high. As is common with this type of volcano, the volcano’s bowl was later covered by basalt after the eruption ended.

Maar volcanoes are the second most common type of volcanic landforms in the world. (The most common are cinder cones, like Capulin Volcano in northeastern New Mexico.)

States: New Mexico
Trail type: National Monument trail
Centroid nearest city: Albuquerque, NM · 52 mi · ~1.5 hr drive
Centroid coords: 35.7637°, -106.2599°

About Bandelier National Monument

National Monument

This trail is inside Bandelier National Monument, a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/falls-trail-tour-stop-14.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Falls Trail Tour - Stop 14 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

Stay nearby

Affiliate · disclosed

Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Albuquerque, NM — 52 miles away (~1.5 hr drive). See accommodation in Albuquerque on Booking.com → RoamFound earns a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we handle affiliate links.