Find Adventure in Aztec
JOHNATHAN DOBBS HAS SPENT more than a decade driving the latticework of gravel roads around Aztec, many of them unmarked, just to see where they go and what surprises they hold. He’s hunted elk and…
Read More
Peak Season in Red River
AS THE JEEP TIRES scrape near the edge of the gravel road, driver Gary Swinford prompts, “See how steep it is?” You can’t miss it. The gravel slope drops so precipitously that the ridgeline on the far…
Read More
Bringing Wetlands Back to Life
MOLLIE WALTON KNOWS what the plants underfoot suggest. But just to be sure, the restoration ecologist steps out onto a green patch and bounces, a little like testing a trampoline. “Isn’t that…
Read More
Rock Solid Find
W HILE THE GLOBAL TALLY of identified plant and animal species is in the millions, scientists know of only 5,998 minerals. For more than 50 years, mineral collector Ramon S. DeMark has worked to change…
Read More
Wildfires Transform Valles Caldera
NOT FAR BEHIND the ranger station, the forest ends. Sunlight floods over grasses, wildflowers, and burnt trunks still standing after the most recent wildfire. The 2013 Thompson Ridge Fire charred the…
Read More
Engage with Valles Caldera Events
FOOTSTEPS CRUNCH ON a patchy crust of snow as Ranger Adam Dean hikes out to the sunny side of Cerro La Jara, one of the tree-shrouded lava domes in the caldera. He follows a trail visible only as a…
Read More
Valles Caldera Provides Fertile Research
THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS SALAMANDER grows to all of three inches long and hides under fallen logs and rocks, where moist soil allows it to breathe through its skin. For nearly a decade, Nancy Karraker, a…
Read More
Melissa Fu Tells the Caldera's Story
A LTHOUGH LOS ALAMOS native Melissa Fu moved to the United Kingdom 18 years ago, she says she’s “always plotting” ways to return home. In September, the author joined the inaugural artist-in-residence…
Read More
Let the Valles Caldera Inspire You
RESIDENT ARTISTS The artists-in-residence program hosts six artists from mid-May through late October. Each one runs at least one public event. In 2024, offerings included nature journaling, drawing…
Read More
Year-Round Scenic Trails at Valles Caldera
AVID HIKER COCO RAE started volunteering at the Valles Caldera National Preserve in 2018, just as staff began identifying and creating a guide to its trail system. Some of her volunteer time went to…
Read More