Meadow in the Valles Caldera

Last weekend was the last ride of the season for the Valles Caldera. It is now closed for the winter.

What a gorgeous fall ride we had, the weather was perfect and the leaves had just begun to change.

The roads were a bit dusty since there had been no significant rain but it was kinda fun kicking up all that dust! Just like the western movies!

Be sure to put this on your schedule for next year, It is not to be missed!

Until next time canter on!

Redondo Peak in the Valles Caldera

The most fantastic ride that I have been on in New Mexico has to be the Valles Caldera ride in the Jemez Mountains. It is between Los Alamos and Jemez Springs. You can reach it from either area. Created many millions of years ago it is what is left of a large volcano.
The Valles Caldera National Preserve was a private ranch until 2000, when Congress created it from a well-known ranch known as “the Baca Ranch” in New Mexico’s volcanic Jemez Mountain Range. This 89,000 acre property is situated inside a collapsed crater. Studded with eruptive domes and featuring Redondo Peak (11,254 feet), this old ranch property is now being developed to explore a new way of managing public lands.
The preserve is open to the public but we guarantee you’ll find the visit unlike any other you’ve had in a park or national forest. We keep the numbers of visitors small for any activity so you’ll feel like you have the place to yourself. Don’t expect big crowds, a shortage of parking, or a shop full of trinkets. Instead, we offer a chance to get out and really experience a sense of solitude that we hope will leave you refreshed and relaxed. You’ll see much wildlife, beautiful vistas and learn about the preserve’s rich history and geology. The most delightful drive to get to this fabulous area from Albuquerque is as follows:
• Take I-25 North and Exit on to Highway 550 (Farmington Highway – old Hwy 44). In San Ysidro, take Hwy 4 to Jemez Pueblo and Jemez Springs.
• Follow Highway 4 at fork at La Cueva (stay right).
• Preserve is about 22 miles from Jemez Springs. Look for the Main Gate at Mile Marker 39.2.
• Driving time from the Big-I is about 1.5 to 2 hours.
Once there you are required to sign a release and pay a $20 fee. There is plenty of parking for horse trailers and restroom facilities.

Once you are saddled up and ready to go get ready for some fun! Don’t forget to grab a map of the trails or you could get sidetracked and end up at a on longer ride than you may have planned. The trails are old logging roads and have recently been graded so if you are into gaiting or cantering this is the place to do it! Enjoying the scenery is a must; we were so busy cantering we missed a herd of elk calmly watching us pass by as our friends told us later. They were watching the elk watching us; who is the watcher and who is the watched? We spent most of the time on the Duke Trail which is highly recommended for both meadow and mountain views!
The elk herd is the second largest in the state (the largest is found in the Gila Mountains in southwest New Mexico). During the early summer (late-May into early-June), solitary cow elk with their newborns at their side may be spotted. Often calving in the open, the mothers find a safe place to hide the newborns until they are old enough to keep up with herd.
Later in the summer, the young elk are minded as a group by several cows in a “nursery herd.” By fall, the cows are ready for breeding and “the rut” (breeding season) reaches its peak by mid-Sept. As winter snows deepen, many elk leave the preserve for lower elevations and more food. Some head south to grasslands in an old burn area in Bandelier National Monument, southeast of the preserve. Others may head north and west of the preserve in search of forage.
By late spring, the elk return to the caldera again. The bull elk drop their antlers in late March and into April, and the new antlers begin to grow soon after. The elk feed hungrily on the new spring grass, dropping their heavy coats as the days lengthen and warm.