In Valles Caldera’s wild heart

Jemez, N.M.

IT was sundown, and the elk were active. We rounded a turn, startling a magnificent pair of bucks, each sporting enormous antlers. They crisscrossed the road ahead as if they were leading us down the slope into the Valle Grande, the largest of several valleys that lie among the volcanic domes of Valles Caldera National Preserve.

We stopped at the edge of the wide valley to watch them descend. Below we could see at least 1,000 elk scattered in herds across the meadows. The view was stunning as the setting sun bathed the land in a warm, golden light.

Valles Caldera, 50 miles northwest of Santa Fe, is a natural wonder at the heart of New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains. The caldera -- the crater left behind after a volcanic eruption -- is the third largest in the U.S. and the best preserved, drawing volcanologists from around the world. It’s also an archeological treasure, containing natural resources used for thousands of years by Native Americans. And it’s a haven for wildlife, including elk, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, trout, black bears, mountain lions and coyotes.

I grew up on the slopes of this long-dormant volcano. As a youth I explored the surrounding mountains on family outings and Scout trips. As a teenager I joined my friends bathing in natural hot springs just off the highway or backpacking on overnight excursions to skinny-dip at a naturally heated pond. But until this summer I had never set foot inside the caldera. It was always off-limits, a privately owned cattle ranch where trespassing laws were strictly enforced. The closest I’d been was a view from the highway.

Then, in 2000, the federal government purchased the Baca Ranch for $101 million, creating Valles Caldera National Preserve. This year, for the first time since the land was transferred to the Cabesa de Baca family in the 19th century, Valles Caldera has been open to visitors for hiking, fishing, hunting and guided tours. The goal is for the property to be self-sustaining, with the cattle ranch earning enough money to pay the preserve’s operating expenses.

When my family made plans to gather in the Jemez Mountains in late June, I contacted the preserve through its Web site, www.vallescaldera.gov, and arranged an afternoon van tour of the caldera. My wife, Jane, our daughters Lauren, 13, and Katherine, 11, and I took the train from L.A.’s Union Station to Albuquerque, where we rented a car for the trip into the mountains.

We took the scenic route through Santa Fe, which led us into a barren desert surrounded by rocky mesas. Gradually the road began to climb, winding into the mountains. At about 7,000 feet we passed the town of Los Alamos. The highway then soared up the side of the mountain with a series of hairpin turns, steep drop-offs and stunning views. At the mountaintop we followed a gentle ridge through a thick old-growth forest and caught our first glimpse of the Valle Grande. The floor of the caldera -- a wide, lush, grassy plain -- stretched for miles, surrounded on all sides by rugged tree-covered peaks.

We met our volunteer tour guide, Martin Pacheco, a teacher at Santa Fe High School, near the main gate along the highway. Our party was an extended family group ranging from ages 11 to 80. We climbed into the preserve’s 12-passenger van and headed down the gentle slope from the highway into the Valle Grande, Spanish for “big valley.” It covers more than 25 square miles, forming a vast meadow at the center of a rugged mountain range. I’ve driven past it hundreds of times and nearly always stopped for the view. On most days, with luck or a good pair of binoculars, it’s easy to spot an elk herd grazing in the distance or a bald eagle circling. It’s here that visitors get a sense of the scale and power of the volcano that built the surrounding mountains.

A geological jackpot

The Jemez Mountains began forming about 14 million years ago, according to geologist Fraser Goff of Los Alamos National Laboratory. In its last major eruption, a million years ago, the volcano spewed 72 cubic miles of rock and ash. By comparison, the volume ejected by Mt. St. Helens’ 1980 eruption was about one-half cubic mile.

The floor of the caldera is dotted with several volcanic domes, each representing an eruption. Many of the surrounding mountain peaks and formations are also the result of eruptions, the most recent about 40,000 years ago.

Today the preserve encompasses the entire caldera, about 140 square miles, ranging in elevation from 8,500 feet to 11,220 at the summit of Redondo Peak, the huge volcanic dome that dominates the caldera. Native Americans consider the peak sacred and it is closed to visitors.

Our tour followed a narrow dirt road that ran along the base of Redondo Peak. It was here that the former owner built a large ranch house with windows offering sweeping views of the Valle Grande below. Elk hunters who paid a premium to hunt in the caldera often stayed here. We saw other buildings nearby, a bunkhouse for the ranch hands and a few smaller structures. We were told some are used to house scientists doing field research on the preserve, and others are used by the preserve staff.

As we traveled deeper into the caldera, elk that had looked like tiny dots from the highway came into focus. The larger herds consisted of does and fawns, most resting in the tall grass. The bucks were alone or in smaller herds and seemed to prefer the shelter of the thick forests. Pacheco encouraged us to watch for solitary does in the brush; this was the season for them to seek the safety of the forest to give birth.

A narrow pass called Obsidian Valley was just ahead. Generations of early Americans came here to collect obsidian, black volcanic glass that is relatively easy to work and shape -- ideal for making arrowheads, knives and scrapers. Many of the arrowheads found in museums and private collections can be traced to obsidian from this site. We stopped to look. We could see the stone everywhere, the ground littered with chips and fragments left behind by Native Americans who had quarried and worked it. On the far side of the valley we could see a massive volcanic dome made almost entirely of obsidian, rising hundreds of feet above the valley floor.

Beyond Obsidian Valley the rugged dirt road wound past several massive, tree-covered volcanic domes and grass-carpeted valleys.

At nearly every turn we caught glimpses of elk, some shyly retreating into the forest, others ignoring us. A few seemed as curious about us as we were about them. At one stop we encountered a young red-tailed hawk that buzzed us after we interrupted its afternoon hunt. In the distance we saw a larger bird of prey, possibly an eagle, circling the river.

“We’ve had sightings of peregrine falcons and a number of bald eagles that roost up here, particularly in the late fall when they can get a lot of fish and elk carcasses after the elk hunts,” said Robert Parmenter, a preserve scientist who keeps track of the animal population.

Annual elk hunts have been held on the property for years and will continue, preserve managers have said. A lottery system provides access to a few hunters.

Fly-fishing is a new preserve activity; it began in July and quickly became popular.

“I’ve been fly-fishing for about five years, so I’m fairly new to it,” said Jill Hanson, a Los Alamos resident who was in one of the first groups allowed to come in to fish. “Any novice would leave there feeling like they were a master fisherman because they were biting like mad.”

Hanson said she caught around 70 pan-sized fish and her partner caught about 100 during the five hours they fished. “We kiss them on their heads and set them free,” Hanson said.

Fishing and hunting are regulated by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and state licenses are required, besides the reservation and access fee. Fishing is catch-and-release and requires a single barbless hook and artificial lure.

Wildlife abounds

THE preserve is host to more than 150 species of birds and populations of weasel, muskrat, cottontail rabbit and other small mammals. Foxes, bobcats, coyotes, badgers, black bears and mountain lions all thrive here.

On one of our frequent stops, Pacheco discovered a fresh kill, the carcass of a full-sized elk brought down by an unknown predator. A mountain lion or black bear was the likely suspect.

By the time it was over, our three-hour tour had lasted nearly five hours, and Pacheco apologized for taking so much time. But, of course, no apology was needed. The tour was an excellent introduction to Valles Caldera, and we would have been happy to keep going if we’d had more daylight. We covered lots of ground, and Pacheco was able to answer most questions. I learned more about the caldera on that tour than during all the years I’d lived nearby.

Besides the van tour, visitors can ride through the preserve on a horse-drawn wagon. As with nearly every activity on the preserve, reservations are required for these van and wagon tours, which will be offered through the end of October. During the winter, if there is enough snowfall, horse-drawn sleigh tours and cross-country skiing will be available.

You also can see the preserve on foot. Five hiking trails crisscross the preserve, and more are planned. Reservations are needed for four of them, but one easy trail -- a brief hike that plunges a mile into the Valle Grande from State Road 4 -- does not require a reservation.

I’d finally explored Valles Caldera, something I’d been wanting to do since I was a kid. What I saw made me want to see more. When the preserve reopens in spring for hiking and fishing, I’ll be back. But I’ll probably skip the elk hunts.

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Visiting the Valles of New Mexico

GETTING THERE:

From LAX, nonstop service to Albuquerque is available on Southwest, and connecting service (change of plane) on America West, Delta, United, American, Frontier and Northwest. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $224.

Amtrak offers daily service to Albuquerque from Los Angeles. Round-trip fares start at $106.

Auto rentals are available in Albuquerque. It’s about a 90-minute drive from Albuquerque to Valles Caldera following the most direct route through San Ysidro. Go north on Interstate 25 to Bernalillo, west on New Mexico 550/44 to San Ysidro, then north on State Road 4. For a two-hour scenic drive, take I-25 to Santa Fe, then go north on New Mexico 84/285 to Pojoaque and west on State Road 4.

WHERE TO STAY:

Elk Mountain Lodge, 37485 State Road 126, Jemez Springs, NM 87025; (800) 815-2859, fax (505) 829-3159, www.elkmountainlodge.cc. This rustic, upscale log cabin-style lodge was built in 1993. Each room has a kitchenette and private deck. Doubles start at $129, including breakfast.

La Cueva Lodge, 38690 State Road 126, Jemez Springs, NM 87025; (866) 829-4077, www.sulphurcanyon.com/lacuevalodge. A basic roadside motel. Doubles start at $45.

The Laughing Lizard Inn and Cafe, 17526 State Road 4, Jemez Springs, NM 87025; (505) 829-3108, thelaughinglizard.com. A comfortable inn in the community of Jemez Springs, about a 30-minute drive from Valles Caldera National Preserve. Doubles start at $55. The cafe serves all day and offers an eclectic menu of traditional and gourmet fare. Entrees start at $8.

CAMPING:

Santa Fe National Forest, Jemez Falls Campground and Redondo Campground, west of the Valle Grande on State Road 4. Fee $10. For information, contact Jemez Ranger District-Santa Fe National Forest, (505) 829-3535; for reservations call (877) 444-6777 or visit ReserveUSA.com.

Fenton Lake State Park, north of La Cueva on State Road 126. Fee $10. For information, call (505) 829-3630; for reservations, call (877) 664-7787.

Bandelier National Monument, on State Road 4, 15 miles from the Valles Caldera. Juniper Campground doesn’t take reservations, but spaces are usually available. Fee $10. Ponderosa Campground is available for groups of 10 to 50; reservations are required. Fee $35. For information, call (505) 672-3861, Ext. 534.

WHERE TO EAT:

The Ridgeback Cafe, at State Roads 4 and 126 in La Cueva; (505) 829-3322. This family restaurant is a short drive from the Valles Caldera. Entrees start at $8.

Los Ojos Restaurant and Saloon, 17596 State Road 4, Jemez Springs; (505) 829-3547. Los Ojos has rustic decor and draws a lively crowd in the evenings. Entrees start at $6.

TO LEARN MORE:

Valles Caldera National Preserve, (866) 382-5537, www.vallescaldera.gov. Entrance fees: adults $10, children $5; children 5 and younger are admitted free.

New Mexico Department of Tourism, 491 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501; (800) 733-6396, fax (505) 827-7402, www.newmexico.org.

-- Ed Stockly