Jemez, N.M. — Jemez, N.M.
IT was sundown, and the elk were active. We rounded a turn, startling a magnificent pair of bucks, each sporting enormous antlers. They crisscrossed the road ahead as if they were leading us down the slope into the Valle Grande, the largest of several valleys that lie among the volcanic domes of Valles Caldera National Preserve.
We stopped at the edge of the wide valley to watch them descend. Below we could see at least 1,000 elk scattered in herds across the meadows. The view was stunning as the setting sun bathed the land in a warm, golden light.
Valles Caldera, 50 miles northwest of Santa Fe, is a natural wonder at the heart of New Mexico's Jemez Mountains. The caldera -- the crater left behind after a volcanic eruption -- is the third largest in the U.S. and the best preserved, drawing volcanologists from around the world. It's also an archeological treasure, containing natural resources used for thousands of years by Native Americans. And it's a haven for wildlife, including elk, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, trout, black bears, mountain lions and coyotes.
I grew up on the slopes of this long-dormant volcano. As a youth I explored the surrounding mountains on family outings and Scout trips. As a teenager I joined my friends bathing in natural hot springs just off the highway or backpacking on overnight excursions to skinny-dip at a naturally heated pond. But until this summer I had never set foot inside the caldera. It was always off-limits, a privately owned cattle ranch where trespassing laws were strictly enforced. The closest I'd been was a view from the highway.
Then, in 2000, the federal government purchased the Baca Ranch for $101 million, creating Valles Caldera National Preserve. This year, for the first time since the land was transferred to the Cabesa de Baca family in the 19th century, Valles Caldera has been open to visitors for hiking, fishing, hunting and guided tours. The goal is for the property to be self-sustaining, with the cattle ranch earning enough money to pay the preserve's operating expenses.
When my family made plans to gather in the Jemez Mountains in late June, I contacted the preserve through its Web site, www.vallescaldera.gov, and arranged an afternoon van tour of the caldera. My wife, Jane, our daughters Lauren, 13, and Katherine, 11, and I took the train from L.A.'s Union Station to Albuquerque, where we rented a car for the trip into the mountains.
