11-29-2011 Bandelier Hike from Ponderosa Camp Ground to Frijoles Canyon Upper Crossing.

Ok lets not call this a hike it was really a scramble. Total distance out and back was just over 3 miles. This was the second day this trail was open since it was closed after the Los Conchas fire in July. I call it a scramble because of all the rocks and down trees that are now on this trail. At the bottom the whole canyon looks like a war zone its very sad, the little Rito de Los Frijoles creek (Frijoles Creek)  that runs through there is still flowing through that waste land. No green grass or plants yet, there were not any animals at all, not even birds. The main visitors center at Bandelier is about 8 miles downstream to the east from here.

I've hiked this trail previously, before the fire. It's 1 mile to the edge of the canyon with a lot of rocky down hill trail. To the bottom of the canyon is another 1/2 of a mile. There is so much damage to the trail first from the fire and then from the flash flood. Took me 4 hours to do the round trip, and I was tired from all the scrambling that had to be done. This should now be a classified as a hard hike. The last 1/2 mile down into the canyon was hard not only with downed trees (most of them burnt) but from the rocks and boulders on every inch of the trail caused by trees sliding down the side of the mountain towards the bottom of the canyon, probably pushed along by flash flooding.

Hopefully they will clear the fallen trees from the trail soon.

This part of the forest was cleared of low hanging limbs some time ago. If they had not done this all of the tress would have been gone. Even so it was a bad burn notice some of the branches were scorched.

This shows the route of the scramble. One is the start, you can see the contour as I start down into the canyon.

Ponderosa Campground, trailhead starts here. Looks good here.

Just a little way down the trail, so far so good.

First encounter with damage from flash flood across the trail. This was  a cut of about two feet deep. Before it was almost level.

Another view of the same trail above.

More flash flood rock and Boulder damage.

This was about 100 feet across the boulders, not easy and not a way around.

Not to bad, black on the trunks about 7 or 8 feet high.

More damage across the trail.

More from the above section of the trail.

More burned trees

Burned Tree

This a rocky part of the trail, no damage here.

Trail through a clearing.

This tree was a total goner.

These tress were totally burned this is just after the picture above.

Same tress as above just across the flash flooded area trail went across here.

Same location as the above two shots.

This just before the edge of the canyon so the water was running fast and deep here.

Don't know what happened here but it is interesting.

Starting down in the canyon and here is a burned tree blocking the trail.

More tree on the trail.

More shots of downed trees on the trail.

Another burned tree blocking the trail.

Looking down at the bottom, the creek right in the middle of the shot.

More burned trees across the trail.

Lots of rocks on the trail here.

It was interesting getting by all of these burned trees blocking the trail.

More scrambling over burned trees.

On the way down there were still flowers in bloom, and a few grasshoppers and its almost December.

This trail blocker was not very bad, easy to step over.

Burned tree just off the trail.

Burned trees on the slope of the canyon above the trail.

Burned trees below the trail creek is just down there where the white color is.

Almost at the bottom.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Looking south from the bottom, burned all the way to the top.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Looking south, burned totally all the way to the top.

Frijoles Creek, Flood are was over 150 feet wide.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Looking back down in the bottom of the canyon.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

Bottom of Frijoles creek.

On the way back up looking south across the canyon, that is the trail on the south side of the canyon. It goes into the back county of Bandelier.

This is what the bottom looked like in April before the fire in July. This is about four miles down stream , east of where all the above photos were taken. I'm sure this area looks just like the above photos. I'll never see it like this again, thats really sad.