Falls Trail Tour - Stop 6

Ponderosa pines on a snowy day.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board

Frijoles Creek begins in springs on the rim of the Valles Caldera, some 4,000 feet above this spot. Melting snow and summer rain adds to the flow. The creek used to flow year-round in this area. However, after major flash floods in 2011 and 2013, it often runs dry at this location in the summer. Even without year-round water on the surface, flora and fauna here are varied and bountiful.

Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) stand tall and straight here, their long needles held in bundles of three. Put your nose to the orange-brown bark on a warm day, and the faint smell of vanilla will waft your way. During the last Ice Age, these majestic trees would have dominated not only the canyon, but also the adjacent mesas. As temperatures warmed, the ponderosas have moved ever upward, with only creekside groves and small thickets of trees on the mesas remaining. This trend is expected to continue.