Capulin Volcano

Capulin Volcano Ladybugs swarm on park plants in summer. Supercooled fog deposits delicate rime ice on vegetation. The Mountain Tells Its Story National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior National Monument New Mexico Chokecherry (capulín in Spanish) gave the volcano its name. Mule deer. The Capulin volcano erupted into existence about 60,000 years ago. Firework-like rooster tails of glowing, superheated lava spewed high in the sky, solidified, and dropped back to Earth. The falling debris accumulated around the vent, forming a cinder cone volcano. After the eruptions ceased, vegetation gained a foothold on the steep, unstable slopes. In time, the cinder cone stabilized as plants took root and natural forces slowly changed the volcanic rock into soil. The volcano straddles two habitats: the grassland of the plains and the forest of the mountains. Capulin’s birth occurred toward the end of a period of regional volcanism that began 9 million years ago. You can see hills, peaks, and other formations from this period throughout the 8,000-square-mile Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. The largest is Sierra Grande, an extinct volcano rising 2,200 feet above the plain, about 10 miles southeast of Capulin. To the northwest, Bartlett, Raton, and Johnson are the largest and some of the oldest lava-capped mesas in the volcanic field. Plants include prairie grasses and wildflowers, pinyon pine, ponderosa pine, and juniper. Legend has it that the volcano was named capulín (cah-poo-LEEN) after the Spanish word for chokecherry. This shrub continues to grow in the park, along with mountain mahogany, scrub oak, and three-leaf sumac. Along Capulin’s trails you can see a variety of plants and animals. On a clear day you can see New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma from the Crater Rim Trail’s highest point. Capulin’s conical form rises over 1,300 feet above the plains to 8,182 feet above sea level. The cone is chiefly loose cinders, ash, and other rock debris formed by gaseous lava that cooled quickly. The volcano’s symmetry was preserved because later lava flows did not come from the main crater but from its boca (Spanish for mouth), at the cone’s western base. Capulin Volcano is extinct today and unlikely to erupt again. Cinder cones typically have only one period of activity, though it remains possible that a new cinder cone could form in the future elsewhere in the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. Planning Your Visit Visitor Center Start here for information, exhibits, a film, and a bookstore. It is open daily except Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. There is an entrance fee. Activities Picnicking, hiking, and birding are popular. The picnic area has water and restrooms. • In late spring and early summer, depending on rainfall, wildflowers create a colorful mosaic among the cinders. Prominent are sunflower (left), lupine, golden pea, paintbrush, penstemon, and verbena. • In spring watch for bluebirds, warblers, blackheaded grosbeaks, and goldfinches. Accessibility We strive to make facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. The visitor center, restrooms, picnic area, nature trail, and crater-rim parking area are wheelchairaccessible. Service animals are allowed. Wildflowers flourish in the volcanic soil. ALL PHOTOS—© LAURENCE PARENT CAVO_S1.indd 1 Services and Camping The park has no food service, lodging, or camping; find these in nearby towns. Safety and Regulations Hike only on designated trails. The trails are maintained, but loose cinders or ice can make them dangerous. Wear sturdy shoes with nonslip soles. • Fire is a potential danger; don’t smoke on trails. • Visitors with heart or respiratory conditions should use caution at this elevation. • If you see a rattlesnake, stay calm, walk away slowly, and report it to a ranger. • Pets must be leashed and attended. They are allowed only on the nature trail at the visitor center; they are prohibited on all other trails. • Trailers of any length are prohibited on Volcano Road. • Pedestrians and bicycles are not allowed on Volcano Road during park operating hours. • Alcohol is prohibited. • For firearms and other regulations, check the park website. • Federal laws protect all natural and cultural features in the park. Emergencies call 911 4/6/22 2:20 PM Walk on a Volcano Did you ever wish you could walk on a volcano, perhaps even venture down into its crater? Capulin Volcano National Monument offers five trails that vary in difficulty and length. Please note that only the Nature Trail is wheelchair-accessible. Nature Trail Easy: about 10 minutes, paved, wheelchairaccessible. Get close-up views of the prairie landscape and lava formations called squeeze-ups. Leashed pets are allowed. Crater Rim Trail Moderate: one-mile loop, paved. Enjoy spectacular 360-degree views. The trail skirts the rim in a series of moderate to steep ascents to the peak’s highest point—8,182 feet—and ends with a steep descent to the parking lot. Crater Vent Trail Moderate: 0.2 miles one way, paved. Trail descends 105 feet to the bottom of the crater, the plugged vent of Capulin volcano. Lava Flow Trail Moderate to easy: one-mile loop, unpaved. This otherwise easy trail has some steep sections and rugged, exposed lava that extends onto the second lava flow. NPS Boca Trail Strenuous: two-mile loop, unpaved. Trail goes through the mouth of the volcano, crosses lava flows, and passes lava lakes, lava tubes, and a spatter hill. Four Lava Flows Capulin volcano’s eruption produced cinders, or scoria (frothy chunks of volcanic rock), and lava flows. The eruption began with a northeast-oriented fissure but eventually focused at a single, central vent. The eruption sent cinders high into the air. The cinders fell and piled up around the vent, producing the cinder cone. The first lava flows emerged before and during the conebuilding eruption and spread east from the cinder cone’s base (see map). Later three more lava flows emerged from the boca (mouth), vents on the west side of the cone. These flows spread southeast (second flow), southwest (third flow), and north (fourth flow). Some flows traveled through lava tubes that have since collapsed. Ripple-like marks on the lava surface, called pressure ridges, formed perpendicular to the flow direction as the crust cooled while lava flowed underneath. Lava mounds, called tumuli or squeeze-ups, formed where the crust broke, and lava oozed out under pressure. The lava flows extend far beyond the park boundary, which includes only the cinder cone, boca, and small portions of the lava flows. Lava flows cover 15.7 square miles; you can see them best from the crater rim. 0 0 1 2 Kilometer 1 2 Mile North Fourth Lava Flow CAPULIN VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT Boca First Lava Flow Third Lava Flow Second Lava Flow Getting to the Park Capulin Volcano National Monument is in northeastern New Mexico. Enter the park three miles north of the town of Capulin off NM 325. Capulin is 58 miles west of Clayton on US 64/87, and 30 miles east of Raton and I-25. Extreme weather like dangerous lightning and snow storms may close Volcano Road. Check the weather before you come. More Information Capulin Volcano National Monument PO Box 40 Des Moines, NM 88418 575-278-2201 www.nps.gov/cavo Follow us on social media. Use the NPS App to guide your visit. Capulin Volcano National Monument is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. Learn about national parks at www.nps.gov. CAVO_S2.indd 1 �GPO:20xx—xxx-xxx/xxxxx Last updated 20xx Printed on recycled paper. 4/6/22 2:20 PM