‘Twas a beautiful autumn day in New Mexico, a time when cottonwoods along streams and aspen in the mountains are in their full glory. Recent rains deterred us from heading into the back country where roads may be too much of a challenge for us. But the Valles Caldera National Preserve can be reached on paved roads (NM 4) and we anticipated that the road into the Caldera would be gravel and well used (which proved to be correct). This would be our first visit beyond the Visitors Center, towards the back country of the this magnificent ‘caldera’.
The Drive In
The drive from Albuquerque, through Bernalillo and San Ysidro, and up NM 4 through Jemez Pueblo, Jemez Springs, and on to La Cueva did not disappoint. The cottonwoods particularly the length of the Jemez River/San Diego Canyon were spectacular – vivid golden yellow so bright in the New Mexico sun against the New Mexico blue sky.
Turning off NM 4 into the Preserve, we look out across the Caldera with the Visitors Center off in the distance some two miles away. The gravel road is dry, the views to the left, right and ahead are amazing – so much open meadow five miles ahead of us with a rim of forested mountains all around (some of the forest shows the remains of fires in recent years).
At the Visitors Center we were greeted by Nina, a clearly enthusiastic volunteer who shared information about the Caldera , in particular where filming of the TV series “Longmire” took place. With the permit (free, and they get cell phone numbers as a safety measure), we were cleared to drive on into the Caldera, told to be back by 5:00; the gate is locked at 5:30. (Note: The timing of our visit was most fortuitous: permits to drive beyond the Visitors Center will not be available from Nov 1 through May 15. Visitors may visit and walk throughout the winter; it seems the Caldera is a great place for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.)
The road past the Visitor’s Center takes one west through the southwest corner of the Caldera, towards Redondo Peak, a prominent landmark visible even from Albuquerque. The road turns northeast where it passes by the main ranch buildings, including the ranch house used in the TV series as Longmire’s cabin.
As we continued northeast, a couple of cars in front of us were stopped, a sign that something interesting might be about. Looking carefully ahead we saw a herd of elk heading out of the Caldera towards the forest. Clearly visible was the bull elk at the head of the heard with a couple dozen cows in tow. ‘Twas a beautiful sight. (Way out in the center of the Caldera we could see a large herd of elk as well, tiny specks against the nearly featureless grass meadow that covers the Caldera.)
The Hike
Valles Caldera Hike.Pat.2018-10-26
We continued on about 3 miles or so, where a side road (closed) provided a convenient parking place for a bit of hiking. Strapping on our backpacks, we passed through some open ponderosa forest (about a mile) and into the edge of the Caldera with wonderful view, east to southwest. A mile in we paused for our mid-hike break, then continued on for another mile to enjoy the fresh air, blue sky, and amazing scenery (hoped to see more wildlife, but no such luck). It was then time to return to the Visitors Center and clear the Valles before it closed.
Highlight
There is -much more- to see in Valles Caldera. The road is open for visitors during the summer months and goes much further than we went. ‘Tho we were in the major -valley- area, one can go another 10 miles into the northern areas of the Caldera, where there are pleasant brooks, open meadow, numerous small mountains (1000 feet), and more. On the way home, we enjoyed a really good pizza in La Cueva, then stopped at Los Ojos in Jemez Springs for a beer .. and some good music (Friday night).
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.07 miles
Elevation: start 8,686 ft, maximum 8,723 ft, minimum 8,633 ft
Gross gain: 90 ft. Aggregate ascending 344 ft, descending 354 ft
Maximum slope: 16% ascending, 14% descending, 3.6% average
Duration: 2:41
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I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
References
National Park Service: Valles Caldera
Wikipedia: Valles Caldera
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science:
Valles Caldera, Jemez Volcanic Field
Visit Los Alamos: Valles Caldera National Preserve
National Park Foundation: Valles Caldera National Preserve
FaceBook: Valles Caldera National Preserve
WikiVoyager: Valles Caldera National Preserve
BikePacking: Valles Caldera, Supervolcano
Wikipedia: Redondo Peak
