About VallesCaldera.com, the Valles Caldera, and the Valles Caldera National Preserve:
VallesCaldera.com has served as the unofficial home of the Valles Caldera since February of 2000 — during the last months of the Baca Ranch era, predating the Valles Caldera National Preserve. This web site has no affiliation with the National Preserve, and is run by a local resident of the Valles Caldera. This site is intended to educate the public about how to appreciate, visit, and enjoy this spectacular land and to encourage folks to take an active role in the advancement and preservation of one of America’s newest public treasures.
The Valles Caldera, in the Jemez Mountains of Northern New Mexico, is a twelve-mile-wide collapsed volcanic crater with lush and expansive high-altitude grassland valleys; towering mountain domes; verdant forests and woodlands; clear, sparkling streams; waterfalls; rivers carved through narrow, tall canyons; natural hot springs; red rock valleys; and some of the most stunning and isolated scenic beauty and wildlife in the Southwest. This crater, or caldera, was formed when the earth collapsed after a catastrophic volcanic eruption took place in the Jemez 1.2 million years ago.
The Valles Caldera National Preserve, a 140 square-mile portion of the larger Valles Caldera, was created in July of 2000 when this land was purchased by the American people for $101 million by an act of Congress, after having been privately owned and operated as a working ranch – the Baca Ranch – since 1860. The Preserve occupies most, but not all, of the geologic Valles Caldera. There are significant portions of the Valles Caldera that are not part of the National Preserve, including rivers, campgrounds, trails, hot springs and residential communities. Visit the official web site of the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
We encourage you to visit our frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) page to learn more about the Valles Caldera.
All content on this web site, including text, photos, panoramas, and logo, with the exception of cited material, movie posters, and book covers, is Copyright © 2000-2010 VallesCaldera.com
