Valles Caldera

CERROS DEL ABRIGO CERROS SANTA ROSA REDONDO PEAK CERRO SAN LUIS CERRO SECO SAN ANTONIO MOUNTAIN National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior CERRO DEL MEDIO Valles Caldera National Preserve New Mexico Coyote © DANY PAQUIN VIEW FROM THE NORTH RIM Volcanic domes rise above expansive grassland meadows called valles (pronounced VAH-yes). A lake once filled this basin where a volcano erupted and then collapsed. Within and surrounding Valles Caldera, diverse plant communities thrive in varying elevation ranges. © CORBY WILSON American kestrel © PETER CURCIS Majestic Landscape The Power of MagmA Va st, w i ld , a n d stu n n i n g Discover a resilient land with a powerful past. Lush montane grasslands, scenic vistas, oldgrowth ponderosa pine, and diverse habitats help make Valles Caldera a land of volcanic enchantment. This dynamic landscape is recovering from overgrazing, aggressive logging, and road construction. Large, high-severity wildfires, driven in part by climate change, have also disturbed the land. Valles Caldera National Preserve is working to restore these ecosystems and protect the caldera’s nature, scenery, and cultural stories for generations to come. ERUPTION COLLAPSE You are in a sunken volcano. Its eruption 1.2 million years ago was 300 times greater than Mount Saint Helens’ in 1980. Ejected ash fell as far as Kansas, Utah, and Wyoming. The science of large-scale explosive volcanism began with studies here. RESURGENCE A bowl-like depression formed when a vast amount of magma rapidly erupted, the huge magma chamber emptied, and the land above sank into the vacant chamber. Valles Caldera is one of the world’s best examples of an intact volcanic caldera. After the collapse, new magma filled the chamber and caused the caldera floor to heave upward. A central dome (Redondo Peak) then formed. Scientists first identified the caldera resurgence phenomenon at Valles Caldera. Cultural Crossroads Rekindled Ecosystems For millennia people were drawn to the caldera by its ample natural resources for making tools, projectile points, medicines, and more. Knives, arrowheads, and spear points of obsidian (volcanic glass formed when high-silica lava cools rapidly) were highly prized. Obsidian from the Jemez Mountains, much of it from Valles Caldera, has been found at prehistoric sites in Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas, northern Mexico, and Mississippi. Thriving forests and grasslands depend on cycles of wildland fire. A century of logging, overgrazing, and fire suppression interfered with natural fire regimes. Wildfires in 2011 and 2013 burned two-thirds of the preserve. Large areas lost all living trees and understory vegetation; erosion from monsoons stripped away the soil and created large debris flows. But returning lowintensity fire can restore these fire-adapted ecosystems. Prescribed fires imitate healthy natural fires and can help reduce forest fuels, recycle nutrients, and increase habitat diversity. Red elderberry, used for medicine and food. © JAMES GAITHER Fire managers perform a prescribed burn at the preserve. NPS Points made from Valles Caldera obsidian. NPS DID YOU KNOW? VALLES CALDERA HELPED PROVE THE THEORY OF PLATE TECTONICS! A classic example of Earth’s explosive forces, Valles Caldera features in many scientific discoveries. Scientists, researchers, and visitors continue to come here to learn about geology, volcanology, and ecology. CERRO LA JARA CERROS DEL ABRIGO VIEW FROM THE PARK ENTRANCE Freezing air and dense lake-sediment soils prevent tree saplings from establishing in the grasslands, creating a distinctive inverted tree line. Valles Caldera NPS HISTORY GROVE VALLE GRANDE Connecting Cultures Paleo-Indians (10,000 years ago) first regularly visit the caldera and use its obsidian. They are the first of many peoples known to be present here. Archaic Period huntergatherers (8,000–1,000 years ago) rely on the caldera’s plentiful waterfowl, game, fish, berries, roots, seeds, and nuts. Ancestral Puebloans (800 years ago) settle in the Jemez Mountains. They grow crops and build masonry fieldhouses and pueblos in lower elevations suitable for agriculture. Spanish settlers (1500s) bring sheep and other livestock to these grasslands. Herding is the land’s primary use into the Mexican Period (1821–48). Hispanic shepherds in the 1900s left carvings in aspen trees. NPS The US government grants land, known since as Baca Location No. 1, to private owners (1860). Hispanic and European American people (1900s) use Valles Caldera for sheep grazing under the partido system, cattle ranching, logging, geothermal energyexploration, and more. Valles Caldera National Preserve is established (2000). Management of the park is transferred from the Valles Caldera Trust to the National Park Service (2014). Native people’s connections to this land and the cultural values here have persisted throughout many eras of ownership and continue today. Today, you can visit Valles Caldera National Preserve to explore its cultural history, serene beauty, and wild natural wonders in many ways. Connect with Nature VIEW OF CERRO SAN LUIS Spruce and aspen ring low ,rolling ridges—shorelines of an ancient lake. Pine and fir grow on southfacing slopes. NPS Healing Habitats Map WHAT IS A NATIONAL PRESERVE? A national Mountain Elevations preserve is similar to a national park and may permit activities like hunting, fishing, and grazing if they do not jeopardize the site’s natural values. Elk and turkey hunting and trout fishing are allowed by permit and with a New Mexico state license. Check the park website for information about permits and firearms regulations Cabin District • Cerro Toledo has an elevation of 10,930 feet (3,331 meters). • Cerro de la Garita has an elevation of 10,600 feet (3,231 meters). Clear-cut logging (1963–71) removed almost all old-growth trees. Logging roads are still visible within the park (left ). From northeast toward History Grove to southwest toward South Mountain: • Ranch Foreman’s Cabin, 1918; From Caldera Road, Valle San Antonio Road runs west and Valle Toledo Road runs east. There is a restroom at both ends of Valle San Antonio Road, and a third at San Antonio Cabin, in the middle. • Cerro Santa Rosa has an elevation of 9,127 feet (2,782 meters). • Commissary, 1941; • Otero Cabin, 1915; • Cerro Seco has an elevation of 9,931 feet (3,026 meters). A Ranger Station is located near Otero Cabin. • Cerros de Trasquilar have an elevation of 9,701 feet (2,957 meters). • San Antonio Mountain has an elevation of 9,986 feet (3,044 meters). • Tack Shed, 1963. • Cerros del Abrigo have an elevation of 10,332 feet (3,149 meters). Once the hub of ranching operations at Baca Location No. 1, this cluster of historic log cabins facilitated spring, summer, and fall ranching operations within Baca Location No. 1. The location offered On Caldera Road, there is a restroom near the northern end of Valle Jaramillo, another near Cerro San Luis, and another near the intersection of Caldera Road and Valle San Antonio Road. Ponderosa pine © EDWARD C. JENSEN Mountain bluebird • Cerros del Medio has an elevation of 9,848 feet (3,002 meters). the shelter of towering, old-growth conifers, ample spring water, and a vista of Valle Grande. These qualities have attracted human use and occupation for several thousand years. © CARA LITBERG • Cerro Piñon has an elevation of 8,881 feet (2,707 meters). • Redondito has an elevation of 10,898 feet (3,322 meters). San Antonio is located along state road 126 on the southwestern side of the preserve and Santa Fe National Forest. It has a campground. Open grasslands • Pajarito Mountain has an elevation of 10,441 feet (3,182 meters). Horse Barn is located northeast of History Grove and has a restroom. • Redondo Peak has an elevation of 11,254 feet (3,430 meters). Stunning and sprawling, these grasslands hold soil in place, retain moisture, and efficiently absorb nutrients. History Grove is located northeast of the Cabin District. The Cabin District is located northwest of Entrance Station. See the Cabin District map for details. Redondo is located southeast of San Antonio along state road 4 and has a campground. Rocky Mountain iris Common spikerush © MELISSA STUDIVANT are dirt and gravel. Off-road driving is prohibited. Park only in designated areas. • Pets must be leashed at all times and are prohibited in the backcountry. • Do not feed, approach, or attempt to touch any wild animal. • Federal law protects all natural and cultural features in the park. Collecting is prohibited (including antlers, rocks, obsidian, insects, plants, and mushrooms). • Practice Leave No Trace principles. DIRECTIONS From Santa Fe Take US 84/285 north to the NM 502W/Los Alamos exit. Continue on NM 502 to NM 4. From Albuquerque Take I-25 north to exit 242. Continue on US 550 to NM 4. The entrance to the park is near NM 4 mile marker 39 at 39201 NM 4, Jemez Springs, NM 87025. ACCESSIBILITY We strive to make facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. Park facilities currently have limited accessibility. For information go to a visitor center, ask a ranger, call, or check the park website. Emergencies call 911 MORE INFORMATION Valles Caldera National Preserve PO Box 359 Jemez Springs, NM 87025 575-829-4100 www.nps.gov/vall vall_info@nps.gov Follow us on social media. Use the official NPS App to guide your visit. Valles Caldera National Preserve is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. Learn more at www.nps.gov. Los Amigos de Valles Caldera, the official park friends group and cooperating association, assists with volunteer-led ecosystem restoration projects and raises funding to promote education, interpretation, and science. To support the park or npf_black.pdf 1 8/26/22 get more involved, visit www. losamigosdevallescaldera.org. Join the park community. www.nationalparks.org IGPO:2023—423-201/83156 Last updated 2023 • South Mountain has an elevation of 9,795 feet (2,986 meters). Parry’s oatgrass By the early 1900s hunting had eliminated New Mexico’s native elk. In the 1940s and 1960s around 100 elk from Wyoming were reintroduced to Valles Caldera. Today the Jemez Mountains are home to New Mexico’s secondlargest elk population. • Rabbit Mountain has an elevation of 9,938 feet (3,029 meters). The park entrance is located along state road 4 near Rabbit Mountain, north of the Santa Fe National Forest, and west of Bandelier National Monument. Vital wetlands Bald eagle REGULATIONS Park roads Entrance Station is located along Entrance Road north of the park entrance. It has a ranger station and restrooms. © DAVE POWELL © DAVID GRIEBELING weather changes, lightning, falling trees, flash floods, hypothermia, and dehydration. Several feet of snow may cover the park in winter. • Cell phone coverage is not reliable in the park. • Report accidents and safety hazards to a park ranger. • Carry plenty of water. daily except Thanksgiving and December 25. Hours vary seasonally. Call or visit the park website for more information. • Cerros Grande has an elevation of 10,199 feet (3,109 meters). • Cerro la Jara has an elevation of 8,745 feet (2,665 meters). © LARRY LAMSA biking, horseback riding, crosscountry skiing, snowshoeing, and ranger-led programs. If you are new to the park, ask a ranger for information. • The park has no water, food, lodging, or camping facilities; find these in nearby communities. • Visit the park website or contact station for information on programs and volunteering. Entrance Road becomes Caldera Road and runs north. © DAVE RUSK Gunnison’s prairie dog ACTIVITIES include hiking, SAFETY Be alert for sudden • Greer Cabin, 1951; Strategic restoration of forests can reduce the risk of wildfire, retain carbon, purify air and water, and provide prime habitat for native wildlife. © MANY AYROMLOU Parking and restrooms are located near the Commissary. • Cerro San Luis has an elevation of 9,510 feet (2,899 meters). Lively forests Abert’s squirrel • Old Barn, 1941; • Bond Cabin, 1918; There is a restroom at in the middle of Valle San Antonio Road and at the eastern end. Valles Caldera National Preserve is a dynamic living laboratory where over 100 years of exploitative land use are being repaired to foster healthy, balanced ecosystems. While here, you might think about the complex relationship between humans and nature; engage in recreation, education, or preservation; or “just be” in this vast, rugged landscape—all while helping to protect the caldera’s many treasures. • Ruby’s Home, 1951; OPERATING HOURS Open The park protects headwaters of several streams and rivers. Wetlands reflect ecological health and provide an array of essential plant and animal habitats. Longnose dace © NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM / ELLEN EDMONSON Jemez Falls is located slightly a little more than 1 mile (2 kilometers) off state road 4. It has a campground. The lungless Jemez Mountains salamander—an endangered species unique to these mountains— needs moist soil to breathe. Logging, road-building, and intense fire adversely affect its limited habitat. © TROY HIBBITTS • Los Griegos has an elevation of 10,117 feet (3,084 meters). Ponderosa Group Campground is located along state road 4 south of state road 501 on the southeastern side of the preserve. Rocky Mountain elk © JIAN FAN