Capulin Volcano

I originally wrote this column in 2005, just after I had returned from one of my extensive road trips. That was prior to my publishing in blog format, and also prior to many of you becoming readers of the column.

The subject of this column is a national treasure tucked away in the northeast corner of New Mexico. The shame of it is that millions of travelers pass within a few miles of it without ever knowing of its existence, although it is designated a national monument. You won’t find it in any of the New Mexico tourist guides or on the official state map, and even the Rand McNally Road Atlas only shows it as a tiny square with a four-word designation.

The only reason I knew about it was because of a chance call of nature several years ago that caused my wife and me to stop at a rest area near Las Vegas, New Mexico. The wall between the rest rooms showed pictures and described an attraction north of us near Raton, the northernmost town on Interstate 25 in New Mexico.

We had some time to kill en route to Colorado Springs to visit our son, so we decided to visit Capulin (Cah-pew-LEEN) Volcano National Monument. It is off the beaten path a little ways, so you have to make a 60-mile round trip detouhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifr and plan about 2-3 hours to go there, but it is well worth the effort. After all, how many times will you be able to walk down to the volcanic plug and then walk completely around the rim of a volcano that last erupted 60,000 years ago?

I will provide the Website link http://www.nps.gov/cavo/ but the Website doesn't do it justice. I also want to describe for you what you would encounter on your visit. There is only one road in, US Highway 64/87, and you find that at exit 451 on I-25 in Raton. Turning east you will travel across undulating prairie with some cattle and lots of pronghorn antelope. Don’t worry though; the pronghorns are unable to leap fences, so the chance of hitting one is practically nil.

After a drive of about 24 miles you top a rise and see in front of you a conical hill with a flat top and dissected by a diagonal slash along the side. You have to turn left onto NM Highway 325 to get to the volcano. As you drive up to the Visitor Center you pass rocky outcroppings with scrub pine. These are remnants of the volcanic flow from Capulin. Entrance to the park costs $5 per vehicle, unless you have a National Parks Pass or a Golden Eagle Pass; then it is free.

A two-mile volcanic (paved) road spirals around the volcano to the top, some 1,300 feet above the surrounding plain. It doesn’t have any offending guardrails to obstruct the view, which is quite spectacular all the way up. There is a parking lot at the rim with parking for about 25 vehicles. From the parking lot, you can hike down into the bowl on a spiral path about 200 yards in length to the very core (plug), a depression filled with more volcanic debris. Along the path you will encounter piñon pine, juniper, mountain mahogany, Gambel oak and chokecherry (Capulin means chokecherry in Spanish). Once you’ve visited the bowl, you can also take a moderately strenuous hike around the entire rim on a one-mile paved path. The views are spectacular and there are several benches to rest along the way. You can easily hike the rim trail in thirty minutes, even allowing for some stopping along the way.

Some of the scenery you can view from the rim trail includes the snow-capped Sangré De Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, where the Angel Fire and Eagle Nest ski resorts are located. You can also see the Raton Pass into Colorado and portions of the states of Oklahoma and Texas. But the scenery in the immediate vicinity is good too. The rock-strewn plain below shows the pressure ridges caused by the lava flow in secondary vents, which caused the perfect symmetry in Capulin. Since lava didn’t flow directly from the cone, it is a good example of a cinder cone volcano. Some other cinder cones and volcanic ridges can be seen nearby, including Sierra Grande, a larger and higher cone, but not nearly as nicely defined.

Okay, I know that most of you will never have the opportunity to visit Capulin Volcano National Monument, but if you ever do get the chance, or if you know of someone else who will be traveling between Albuquerque and Denver on I-25, it is well worth the time and gasoline to make the detour at Raton. I have been there three times, and I introduced my daughter, son-in-law and grandson to the natural wonder. Oh, and if you have a little extra time, ask at the Visitor Center about the alternate route back to Raton. It is even more scenic, but takes a little longer to traverse.

It seems appropriate for me to end this column with the phrase, Bon Voyage!