Capulin Volcano Ntnl Monument

Not long after entering New Mexico this morning I spotted the brown sign which lead me 30 miles off the Interstate to Capulin Volcano. Normally this would not have slowed me much, but after getting the chance to climb a volcano near Mono Lake, CA a few months earlier, I felt I could handle another.

Capulin Volcano last erupted 60,000 years ago, spewing rock and debris into what the cone shape we see now. This cone rises 1300 feet above the plains to over 8100 ft above sea level. The western side is not as tall, leaving a “mouth” for the lava to flow out of the volcano without disrupting the shape of the rest of the cone.

There is a paved road that circles the volcano up to the top of the western side of the cone, allowing you to look down into the crater up top. Looking west, away from the crater, is the massive scenery of the plains and the nearby mountains, many of which are also extinct volcanoes.

I did not spend a lot of time here as all the trails were closed due to the snow. I only drove to the top and poked around, snapping a few photos, before heading back to the Interstate to continue my trek South to Santa Rosa, NM where I will be staying the night.