There’s good reason why I prefer not to plan my solo road trips. Yes, there are times when the chaos ends in sub-optimal results. Other times though, you get to do things you wouldn’t normally see otherwise. Case-in-point: Upon leaving El Morro my only destination was “head east back towards ABQ”. I had no idea I would come across signs with an old-timey prospector advertising claims of fire and ice, and tours of an “ice cave”? Ice…in the desert? Yeah, I have to see that.
Following the signs it’s easy to find the Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano. Unsurprisingly this location has…a cave with ice, and a volcano. Well, at least the crater of an old volcano that erupted over 10,000 years ago.
First stop is the Old Time Trading Post and museum directly adjacent to the parking lot. Be prepared to encounter some ferocious yellow jackets on the way in, they will steal your food!
Built in the 1930’s, the small shop has gifts from the local area including assorted rocks and minerals; Native American jewelry, gifts, and pottery; and other miscellaneous arts and crafts. You have to purchase admission to explore the trails as this is private property but it isn’t expensive. I think they also had ice cream if you’re into that (who isn’t?). Be sure to hang on to your trail guide – it will explain the natural features along the way.
Aside from gifts there is a museum-type area with artifacts – mostly pottery – either found on the property or from the local area. Dating of the items puts age at 800 to 1,200 years old.
And finally there is a large wall of photos and history titled “Icecave Memories” that chronicles the history of the Candelaria family and how this came to be a tourism destination. Take the time and read the story if you can; if not please see their website here to get full details.
Volcano Trail
The loop trail starts right from the trading post and heads west up towards the caldera. The entire area is old lava fields and the trail itself is well-maintained. Forests are predominantly Ponderosa pines with some Douglas fir, aspens, and oaks typical for the region.
Often times features like this ‘spatter cone’ are labeled with wood markers; others there are small number plaques to indicate the point of interest to find in your trail guide. In this case a spatter cone is where vents form in the molten lava and an air pocket burts through the surface resulting in a spatter of lava being flung about and cooling to some interesting shapes.
Not long before the trail starts climbing up the hillside. Rocks beneath your foot are a bit loose here and it will feel like you are trudging through sand, requiring some extra effort to make forward progress. Overall still a quite easy trail. My suggestion: don’t rush, there are plenty of things to see along the way like birds and other wildlife if you are quiet and observant. Enjoy the journey.
The trail dead ends as we climb up into the cinder cone itself and there is a small fence barrier preventing you from falling all the way down inside. Be very mindful of this – it is about 800 feet down to the bottom. Elevation at the lookout point is listed at 8,036 ft and closer to 8,400 ft at the rim of the cone.
Here is the payoff – some amazing views inside the ancient cinder cone. Congrats, you are now inside a volcano. I can’t stress enough how the photo doesn’t do it justice: those slopes are extremely steep! Overall the mouth of the crater is about 1,400 feet across.
Scenic Trail
Coming back down the caldera the slope flattens out and the trail heads east and then north through the lava field. Vegetation is much lower here and more varied. And today I found some small rain sprinkles and dramatic clouds which made for some fun photography. This is a great spot to observe the other volcanoes that make up the El Malpais region: per the trail guide you can see approximately 15 of them from here, and in total there are 29 in this field.
Existence in the lava fields is not easy, and this twisted Pinyon pine is testament to that fact. The rocky ground is so hard that trees can find it difficult to make roots, and as a result the tree ends up twisty and gnarled. Life, uhh…finds a way.
Remember the birds I mentioned earlier? Extremely hard to get on camera, I tried for far too long to get even one acceptable image. But I got one after being patient. Western bluebird.
As you move through the area you will notice variations in the type of lava formations. The brochure talks about a few of these (A’a, Pahoehoe, Clinker) but there are many more and I’m not going to pretend to know what I’m talking about here. All I can say is some of the flatter areas were more uniform and smaller chunks; this one is larger slabs and rubble and from what I read this means more disturbance over time causing the less continuous appearance.
Yet another formation are these surface tubes and vents. The name itself should describe what you are seeing – tubes or tunnels that run through the lava.
Ice Cave Trail
Near the end of the loop trail is a small spur that breaks off to the Ice Cave. Not shown here but nearby are some circular stacks of lava stone that indicate human habitation of ancient Puebloan people. The brochure details this is where much of the pottery was gathered from in the 1940s and later.
The spur trail is not very long, and before you know you will reach the entrance to the cave. It is also where you can see the collapsed Bandera lava tube which runs over 17.5 miles long and is considered the longest lava tube in North America. Wow.
A wooden platform and staircase lead down into the cave. Be very cautious here as the stairs are narrow, steep, and uneven. Use the railings!
If you aren’t feeling some vertigo by now just wait a minute and it should kick in. Seriously, use the railings and take your time here.
Nearing the final stairs section you will definitely feel a wave of cold hit you like an invisible wall. I’m from way up in the great white north so I am no stranger to this and I’ve already camped in some cold spots during the journey, but if you are from warmer climates I hope you brought a jacket. Brrr!
The sign at the viewing platform reads “Perpetuation of ice due to lava insulation and the shape of the cave which traps frigid air.” The trail guide states temperatures in the cave never go above 31°F which results in the perpetual ice.
Taking a good photo into the cave is a bit tricky as it gets darker at the final platform. Views from the second platform allow me a bit more light to work with. Notice the ice is a bright neon green – apparently this is caused by Arctic algae embedded within. It is listed that the ice is 20 ft deep and the oldest ice at the very bottom dates to 3,400 years old when it originally formed. Ice used to be harvested but they stopped the practice in 1946 and since that time ice levels have risen several feet that varies with annual rainfall.
I found it interesting how the ceiling of the cave is covered in not only moss (or algae? maybe lichen?), but also small ice crystals and/or remnants of the leached minerals from the rocks that likely gets deposited by the draining rain waters coming from above. What a strange and fascinating natural occurrence this is!
The trail leading back to the trading post has more curious lava formations and a few cheeky decorations like this skeleton who has a tombstone reading “Curious George left the trail” (meaning please stay on the trail and be respectful).
Back On The Road
The day’s adventures were over but I still had a long way to go. Next stop was to finally reach my family though I wasn’t sure if I would stop anywhere else for side-quests. Nature gave me a sign in the form of this rainbow that appeared in the exact direction of Las Cruces and the matter was settled. Onward!
Ultimately I ran out of time and hit some crazy thunderstorms as night fell around Socorro. Before that I did get a decent sunset as I cruised south on I-25. I got a little too tired to make it all the way and slept at a Circle K in Hatch which is super close but I didn’t even realize at the time. Wasn’t the best night’s sleep I’ve had but gave motivation to wake early and arrive in time for morning coffee with my Dad. Total distance today was around 325-350 miles driving and 4 or 5 hiking, that’s enough.
Hiking Data
Here is the path of the full loop trail: Trading post -> Bandera Volcano -> Scenic Trail -> Ice Cave -> Back to the beginning. Definitely worth the stop, check it out if you are in the area!
Total distance 1.8 miles with only about 130 feet elevation change, most of which is the climb to the cinder cone and going up & down the stairs to the ice cave. Overall difficulty quite easy for most people fit enough to make the walk.
