Another hike in the cañons at Los Alamos, near White Rock. This is such amazing territory, much of it inaccessible because of the deep, near vertical walls carved from the Bandelier Tuff from the volcano that created Valles Caldera.
The Drive In
Find your way to White Rock (NM 4 west from Pojoaque, or NM 4 from San Ysidro through Jemez Pueblo, Jemez Springs, and beyond the Valles Caldera). Look for the small parking area at Los Alamos Gate 11; it is about 2 miles west from the White Rock County Visitor Center in White Rock.
The Hike
Portillo Canyon Loop Trail Hike.Jay.2026-03-26
Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line). Click on the image for a full-screen view.
The trail descends gradually from the trailhead across generally open ‘NM desert’ terrain – mostly dust, occasional rocks, and among scattered juniper, piñon, and the occasional ponderosa pine. When we reached the end of the Loop, we chose to continue on the Estante Trail and its extension to an overlook of the Lower Water Canyon to the Rio Grande and to the cañons coming down to the Rio Grande from the other side.
The return to the trailhead, gently up hill, was pleasant with more ponderosa pines offering a modicum of shade. Nearing the trailhead, we referred often to GAIA, choosing a trail among the web of trails that are laid out in this area.
Just a great walk in the cañon.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.33 miles
Elevation: start 6,473 ft, maximum 6,475 ft, 6,255 minimum ft
Gross gain: 220 ft. Aggregate ascending 462 ft, descending 463 ft
Maximum slope: 42% ascending, 36% descending, 3.2% average
Duration: 2:39, Average Speed: 1.6 mph, Shade: 0%
| GPS Track Files for Download | |
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| Link to GAIA GPS: “Portillo Canyon Loop Trail Hike.Jay.2026-03-26” | |
| If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, give it a try. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get good idea of the hike and the terrain. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files. | |
Related Posts
Lions Cave-Broken Mesa-Lower Water Canyon Trails Hike – 03/23/2026
Ridgeline-Portillo Mesa Trails Hike – 01/06/2026
Bandelier-Los Alamos Area Posts
References and Resources
AllTrails: Potrillo Canyon Loop Trail
Potrillo Canyon Trail t Lower Water Canyon Trail Loop
Los Alamos County Open Space & Trails: Trail Network Map
Pajarito Environmental Education Center:
White Rock Region
Canyons and Longer Hikes
Wanderlusting the Jemez: Wanderlusting Potrillo Canyon
Mountain Project: Potrillo Cliffs Rock Climbing – photos of the walls
Los Alamos National Laboratory: Trails Management Plan 2015 (pdf)
Photos
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