Four years later and I have returned to Capulin Volcano National Monument to rectify my past failures and – spoiler alert? – it was worth the wait. Considering my past blunder was just not paying attention to a clock this was an easy win. Anyways, welcome to Capulin and let’s explore!
Visitor Center
First stop is at the visitor center. It’s on the smaller side but worth checking out as you will drive by it anyways before heading up to the top of the volcano.
Be sure to read the displays covering volcanic activity, geology, life near the volcano, and astronomy. Capulin is listed as a Gold Tier Dark Sky Place by the International Dark Sky Association so if you decide to camp in the area don’t miss this opportunity!
Vent Trail
I don’t have much to share about the drive up to the top of the volcano since I was focused on driving and not falling off the edge, but also because the ascent is basically just looking at the sky and road. Don’t worry though, there is no lack of scenery coming up. After parking at the small lot at the peak, I decided my sore feet were okay-ish enough to hike the short but steep Vent Trail down into the caldera. I didn’t hike the Crater Rim trail because my little piggies didn’t feel that good but I’m sure the views up there are worth the trip and you should do it if you are able.
It’s only a 0.2 mile trail and you can see the finish line right from the trailhead, but you’ll also get a 100-ft descent (and ascent on the return trip) which isn’t too bad but be prepared. Kind of like hiking down a playground slide and then back up again.
Don’t forget up here you’ll be around 8,000 feet of elevation where air is a little thinner and that sun cooks you just a tiny bit more than down below.
The trail itself is paved all the way down and starts off passing through some trees and brush with stacked stone walls along the sides. I think this side has a bit more vegetation due to less open sun exposure.
Heading further down it opens up and you’ll get to see more of the volcanic rocks in various sizes – some the size of a football, others sized much larger than a human. Imagine when the volcano was active and these were exploding outwards like hot lava bombs…what an interesting sight that would be (but also equally terrifying).
Here’s the view from the end of the trail looking back upwards. Down here it just looks like a big vertical wall, quite the change in perspective. This angle also gives the best perspective on the different rock sizes.
Another view as we climb back out of the cone on the spiral-shaped trail. You should definitely spend time inspecting the igneous rocks closer as the textures are fascinating and unique compared to other non-volcanic varieties.
Panoramic Views
The main draw of driving up to the top are the spectacular views across the landscape below including the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. All of the distant peaks and mesas are a result of volcanic activity that occurred from 9 to 3 million years ago. Capulin erupted quite recently about 60,000 years ago at the time where bison and mammoths were present.
Here is the best panoramic shot I could capture that spans the volcanic field similar to what is shown on the informational sign. Almost perfect views today – not much haze, pleasant temperatures, and only partly cloudy with lots of sunshine.
Another slightly stranger panorama that came out of my iPhone. You can see the stone boundary wall kind of warping around but everything on the horizon are in the right place. You can see even more high points in the distance as the volcanic field continues for a long, long way. Not sure I even need more words to describe what I’m seeing here – this is the reason to get out and explore, it’s what makes it all worth doing.
