Camp was quiet and nearly cleared out on this mid-October Monday morning, and my feet are losing their soreness so it’s time to try another short hike. As far as short hikes go this one has a great payoff at Jemez Falls, the highest waterfall in the Jemez Mountains. The trailhead is very easy to find at the end of the campground access road.
There are some connector trails to hike directly from the campground but from my site it would add about 2 miles round trip and my clodhoppers weren’t that eager yet. Instead I drove to the trailhead and headed down the well-graded path. This short spur trail intersects with the longer East Fork Trail which is a 10-mile trail that I’ve read leads to a hot springs – something worth checking out if you have more time for adventure.
Elevation is all downhill on the outbound trip and you’ll be in the thick Ponderosa pine forest the whole way. No complaints here!
The trail is well marked and easy to follow. As you reach the end you’ll see the cliff of the river gorge open wide on the horizon, and that nice gravel trail will shift to larger rocks and boulders.
The elevation really drops off steeply so take caution on the way down. Even in dry conditions it can get a bit slippery as the soil becomes a bit powdery at times.
Nearing the edge there is a stone wall and guard rail, and a chain link fence a bit further down as safety measures against falling down the vertical cliffs and into the East Fork Jemez River.
From the overlook at the railing you should be able to make out Jemez Falls between the trees as it drops 70 feet and bends as it cascades down.
Here’s a closer view with zoom from my camera lens.
Here’s another vertical that shows a little more of the surrounding features.
I hopped around the rocks and even went out towards the edge of the top drop but no better unobstructed views are to be found. That being said, take your time and explore the area – lots to see here and none of it is bad.
As I was looking for better angles, I thought I heard more moving water coming from upstream. Not sure the small paths here are “official” but they are well-traveled and very steep. Decided to give it a look anyways – take extreme caution if you venture out to these parts.
There is another smaller waterfall just around the river’s bend and it’s mostly obstructed from direct views by the terrain. Notice the drop just left of those tiny trees in the foreground? Pretty much impossible to step any further without taking a slide down all the way to the bottom. Check out those interesting rock formations on the opposite bank, looks like some fantastic pancake stacks from ancient volcanic activity.
Here’s the best view I can get of the smaller falls. Hard to say how far the drop, looks like about 25 feet from my estimation. Not bad!
The return trip is a bit more work as it’s all uphill ascent back to the trail head, but it’s not bad since the distance is just over 1/4 mile each way. Don’t miss this one!
Hiking Data
Here’s my recorded path on the Jemez Falls trail. The dotted red line is the East Fork Trail and you can see where they intersect at the parking lot. Many other small trails branching off through the forest. You can also see the smaller waterfall feature marked which I didn’t see when I was on the actual hike – glad I heard it or would have possibly missed out.
Total distance just shy of 0.9 miles but the trail itself is supposed to be only about 1/4 mile each way. Some other sites list total distance at 0.8 miles for the in & out trip. Mostly this will depend on how much you explore the canyon area. Take your time and get your daily steps in, it’s totally worth it.
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