The Ranger was friendly! $20 per car, cash or card. The hike trails are both about 1/4 of a mile…read more Prepare to get your shoes and legs wet if you go through the bottom trail. Top trail has a few steep sections. We spent a little over an hour (hiking both trails). Got some good pictures and enjoyed nature!

This waterfall blew my mind! I didn't know that such a large waterfall existed in NM! I'm so glad…read morewe hiked it, and I'll be back! The water was pretty frigid, but still fun!

Took this beautiful trail on a Monday morning. You have to…read morepark off the side of the road, as there is no parking lot but there is plenty of parking in the morning. When I arrived, I found parking amongst four vehicles already lined up -- and when I left, about four to five more were parked up and down the road, so don't stress about the parking too much. I do want to mention that there are 'high car prowler' signs, so definitely don't come with valuables/leave valuables in your car. The hike itself takes about an hour to an hour and a half, give or take. A few recommendations: 01. Most of the hike is sun exposed, so do bear that in mind (in case a sunstroke or skin cancer is something of concern). 02. Go in the AM hours as you'll get rather sweaty from the steep uphill trekking. Besides, who doesn't want a gorgeous view at the start of their day? 03. Hiking boots (as it is steep going up and can be slippery going down). I encountered a lot of elderly people too. I'm talking people in their 60's+. It was... very inspiring to see, as this trail is a moderately difficult hike! Quite adorable to see them out there hiking with their dogs and their hiking poles. So kind and friendly too. 100% worth it.

Pretty, easy hike for visiting from flat land beginners offers nice view over St. John's Collegeread more

I love the rail trail in SFe because it is my favorite place to be sometimes, like walking with an…read moreold friend. I don't know where it starts and I don't know where it ends, and I really don't want to know either. I just get on from my hood in the Beverly Hills Barrio and I walk or ride in whichever direction I'm drawn towards that day and time. I have ridden all the way to Target one day, and the other past Rabbit road and beyond onto a dirt path. Other times I have ridden past the railyard and up Canyon road to the Audubon center. I can't say enough good things about urban paths that are ped and cycle friendly and I'm so glad that so many towns and cities have them. Keep it up America! Joy

This trail is a work of art. For being in a desert, the city has done a great job landscaping and…read morecultivating a little greenery. In some ways, it reminds me of the many parks/trails in Seattle that I desperately miss (just bluer skies here). It's a great place to go for a run, bike or bring the kiddos. There is ample places to stop for a brief sit, picnic or good book read. And located next to the Farmer's market, the Rail Trail will make a great addition to your weekend mornings.

Beautiful trail with great views. A little rocky in some areas but a good incline overall and nice…read moreoption for a hike or trail run. It is in a residential area and the only parking is right in front of the trailhead with room for about 4 cars. We got lucky and the 4th spot was available when we arrived! Worth a visit! Near downtown so an easy trail for visitors staying at hotels to check out!

The trailhead for this beautiful and easy 1.9-mile loop hike is about 3/4 miles above St. John's…read moreCollege on Santa Fe's eastside. The trail affords great views of the north end of Santa Fe and the Jemez Mountains. There are frequently lizards and horned toads along the trail edges. Although the trailhead parking lot is small (4 cars), there is roadside parking near St. John's College.

Frijoles Creek flows right through the Bandalier National Monument. It is a gentle waterway here as…read moreit passes under foot bridges and along creeks dotted with river rock. But that was not always the case as the gigantic 2011 Las Conchas wildfire burned through the monument's watershed. According to a story in the Albuquerque Journal newspaper, " the fire left thousands of acres charred and denuded, and cleared the way for huge floods through Frijoles Canyon in 2011 and again in 2013 that threatened key features of the (Bandalier) monument and the visitors center." Yes, little Frijoles Creek (El Rito de los Frijoles, Spanish for "the little river of beans,") turned into a mighty raging river of water.The floods here washed out Frijoles Rim Trail and the bottom part of the Falls Trail down to the Rio Grande. The Bandelier website says the "Frijoles Canyon Trail between Alcove House and the Upper Crossing "is basically a streambed hike at this point - passable but challenging in places due to erosion, rockfalls, fallen trees, log jams, flood debris, dense vegetation and numerous stream crossings," said the Journal newspaper at the time. Frijoles Creek generally flows at 10 cubic feet per second or less. But in September 2013, it was rushing along at 9,000 cfs, park rangers say. That's a lot of water moving around. Frijoles Creek was so powerfully flooded that 300-year old trees came toppling down along it's banks. But this Creek is so important because it is one of the few places in the plateau region where water flows year-round This reliable source of water must have been very important to the Native Peoples who utilized the H20 for drinking and cooking. Animals and wildlife would have been attracted to the area to drink at the stream. A wide range of plant life would have flourished along the stream. The Creek I saw at Bandalier in May 2015 was a peaceful stream of cold river water. The water is so cold because it flows down from the melted snow up in the mountains above the plateau. The Creek has waterfalls. Both Upper Frijoles Falls and Lower Frijoles Falls feed the Creek stream. But these waterfalls are not really the main attraction, as not much water flows over them. However, the hike up to see the Falls and the beautiful rocks around them are fantastic. I have to give Frijoles Creek 5 YELP STARS for it's unusual name and the fact that this hardy watershed has recently survived both a raging wildfire and torrential flooding. It's consistent flow of water enabled the Ancestral Pueblo people to survive and flourish in this sometimes arid and harsh climate.

During our annual winter road trip from Austin to Taos, we take as many opportunities as possible…read moreto stretch our legs and take in some beautiful New Mexico landscapes, especially after a great local meal. We chose one of the trails at La Tierra because it was near our location after our tasty late lunch at the original Pantry diner and would put us on the correct side of town to easily continue our journey north on Highway 84 to our lodging at Embudo (north of Espanola). From a peek at the trail system map from Santa Fe Conservation Trust (SFCT, https://sfct.org/la-tierra-trails/), it looked like the La Cuchara trailhead (off 599 aka Veteran's Memorial Highway, behind Unity Santa Fe church) would be our best option, as we could access the roughly 3-mile Ridgetop Loop that would give us a bit of elevation gain with lovely views of the mountains in every direction. If you wanna follow our path, start at the trailhead (designated by marker "TH" throughout the park) and proceed through these numbered markers: 24, 21, 17, 16, 14, 12, 11, 25, and back to the trailhead. This was a mild winter Sunday afternoon, with temps in the low-40s, breezy, and partly sunny. There was a bit of leftover snow here and there, but the single-track terrain was primarily sandy and rocky with minimal mud, a good thing, since we were in our street shoes. We encountered only 2 other parties during our 1-hour outing, one guy on a mountain bike, and a couple walking their 4 dogs (off-leash, grrrr, but thankfully, harmless). The La Tierra Trails system has over 25 miles within 1.5k acres and is rated for multi-use by hikers, cyclists, and horses, plus a small section for motorcycles and ATVs at Buckman Track. Trail runners can also enjoy this trail system, with caution for the abundant cacti. Mountain bikers and BMX riders can have extra fun with some technical trail sections, jumps, and terrain obstacles created just for them; they even get an annual event during Santa Fe Bike Month (August) here, the La Tierra Torture race https://www.core-crew.com/la-tierra-torture-4-27 . Good to know: There are no restrooms or other comfort facilities (at least near the trailhead and path we took). We did notice signs about the risk of car break-ins and shattered window glass on the ground, but no one broke into our car while we were on the trail.

We loved hiking out here, nice and secluded, well marked trails that were easy to follow. All the…read moretrail markers had the full map to help you orient. Very good scenery. There were a couple places that were a little steep but most of the trail was very reasonable grade wise. We took a two mile or so loop from the calabasas trailhead, but there are a bunch of different trail heads to start from and options to go. Some are horse and bike friendly, some not. Bring water with you! There isn't any place to get it nearby.

Nice hike for us fairly fit seniors is the loop trail. Park at the lodge or just before it st the…read morecampground where sign indicates black canyon trail. Walk past the lodge and look for sign with trail map. We thought we'd try the waterfall trail but no signage made us stop after crossing the stream several times and ending at a memorial cross. Someone said you need to scramble with large rock/cliff to the left and keep going. The lodge was closed when we went in mid September. Lovely cool day for a 9:00 am hike.

This is camping! The trees are absolutely gorgeous and there are little trails right off the…read morecampsites. The sites are level and have a nice big table and a pole with two hooks for hanging trash or food so critters can't reach it. The way the loop is developed gives each campsite lots of privacy and you're never too far from a restroom or trash can. The people in the park were really friendly and the camp fees were totally reasonable. It's also not too far from town to run in to spend time in at the beautiful plaza area and browse for adorable nick knacks for souvenirs and gifts. It's also convenient for groceries or gas. There is an Albertsons and Whole Foods right off the highway as soon as you get to town.

This gets three stars because the dog park is fenced and safe for my dog. Sadly, it's become a bit…read moreneglected and the weeds are overgrown. Needs some TLC .

Just visiting for the weekend & came across this park. Having a deaf pup it & no fence didn't work…read morefor us. My bad for not researching more. The worse was the sand spurs. Didn't get 5' away from the parking lot picked 2 off my dog's paw & my flip flops had twice as many.