Seasons and Sights Seen Along the Valles Caldera East Rim
Winter
Snowshoers Starting up Official Cerro Grande Route in Bandelier National Monument
The official Cerro Grande Route trailhead and parking is across NM-4 from Bandelier's Upper Frijoles Trails. There is overflow parking nearby at the intersection of the Dome Road, Forest Road (FR) 289, and NM-4. Cerro Grande is on the Valles Caldera southeast rim and this official route gets to the top of Cerro Grande in 2 very steep miles. The trip is well worth it any time of year!
Cerro Grande High Pass in Winter
This is the high pass between Cerro Grande and an unnamed peak to the southwest and is the final steep trek before the summit. Fog and flurries rolled in all day, making the landscape a study in black and white.
Foggy View into Valle Grande from Cerro Grande’s Summit
This was the best view into the Valle Grande on a foggy, frosty winter day! On a clear day, you can see stupendous views of the north rim of the caldera as well as the Valle Grande, Redondo, and the south rim. You can also look away from the caldera and see all the way to Sandia Mountain with all the enchanted backcountry of Bandelier National Monument in between!
Spring
In Bandelier National Monument on the Official Cerro Grande
Route
The official Cerro Grande Route is a way to get onto the southeast rim from Scooter Peak on the south rim. The hiker is walking a section that parallels a branch of Frijoles Canyon. The headwaters of the El Rito de Los Frijoles originate up high on Cerro Grande and flow down Frijoles Canyon all the way to the Rio Grande.
The ridge above the greening aspens is the easternmost arm of Cerro Grande. There is an unofficial route in Bandelier National Monument that goes up this ridge to Cerro Grande’s summit. It is slightly longer but has a more gentle grade. On the way up, there are great views of the Water Canyon drainage west of Los Alamos and the whole Rio Grande Valley. Check Eclectic Resources on this website for a book by Joan and Gary Salzman which gives directions to this unofficial route.
Cerro Grande High Pass in Spring
On September 10, 2005 when the official Cerro Grande Route opened and the mountain saw more people on it than it had for 30 years, I watched from high above this pass as an elk peered out of the woods and cautiously hesitated before scampering across. The hike remains very popular.
Beyond the high pass, the heavily treed slopes of Scooter Peak and Rabbit Ridge end at NM-4, which curves along the Valle Grande.
Redondo in Valle Grande from above Cerro Grande’s High Pass
South Mountain is the peak to the left of Redondo. In front of it is the petite, forested knob of Cerro la Jara, where the Valles Caldera National Preserve’s Valle Grande Staging Area is located. Both are moat rhyolite domes of the caldera which means they sprung up around the edge of the caldera’s outer ring fracture.
Near Cerro la Jara is where you can check in for most activities offered on the Preserve. Parking, restrooms, and a small gift shop are here also. Drop by for their hour long History and Geology tours--only $5 each and no reservation is needed. Find the days and times these are offered by clicking on the calendar on the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) website.
Handline Used to Fight Cerro Grande Fire
This path starts at the top of Cerro Grande and descends north, following a handline that was cut during the fighting of the May 2000 Cerro Grande Fire. It begins as an idyllic walk in a pretty woods on a well-worn trail but soon turns steep and rock-strewn! It’s very doable, though, even in deep snow on snowshoes. The route is easy to follow because it essentially keeps to a heavily treed, north-south trending ridge. The sides of the path are littered with cut trees from the construction of the handline so you know for sure you’re following it. Since the handline is on the VCNP, it is off-limits for now.
This section of the Valles Caldera rim running from the top of Cerro Grande to the top of Pajarito Mountain via Valle Canyon Pass is key to opening up the chance for hikers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, runners, bicyclist, birders, wildflower enthusiasts, and all who love the outdoors, to have great car shuttle hikes between Cerro Grande, Pajarito Mountain and Valle Canyon.
In 2008, the VCNP will continue its planning for public use and access. The Valles Caldera National Preserve official is where news of this process will be posted. Many people express interest in hiking around the Valles Caldera rim but so far, there are not hundreds who are organized and clamoring for a rim trail. Please let a major land manager of the caldera rim--the Valles Caldera Trust--know that you want the Valles Caldera National Preserve rim to be opened up for the public to enjoy! The public needs to express strong interest in a rim trail for it to happen.
Walking the Handline on Cerro Grande’s North Arm
Valles Caldera Rim Trail volunteers are going down a rocky part of the handline. This doesn’t look as steep as the part I’ve nicknamed Elevator Shaft!
Walking down the handline, you catch pocket glimpses through the trees of the caldera on one side and Pajarito Mountain on the other. There is even a postage stamp view of Tschicoma to the far north.
Rock Field on Cerro Grande Saddle
Hazy view of Cerro del Medio can be seen from a small rock field on the handline. If you position yourself just right, there are far off views of Redondo and of Garita Ridge-Hunter’s Point. If tippy rocks are not your style, you can easily bypass this felsenmeer by going around it in the woods.
Valle Canyon Pass
Pilgrims entering the fabled, promised land--Valle Canyon Pass, below the heavily treed southern flank of Pajarito Mountain.
This is the pass that is on VCNP land and is closed to the public. Valle Canyon Pass is such an important connector for the Valles Caldera Rim Trail because without it, there’s a huge gap on the Valles Caldera rim that’s impossible to otherwise bridge between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain. The Valles Caldera Rim Trail as a cohesive whole are essentially dead-in-the-water if Valle Canyon Pass is not opened up. The rim between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain has the potential to be the most well-used section because of its easy access via paved roads from nearby sizable population centers. The Valles Caldera National Preserve is public land and there’s no good reason why this connector cannot be opened up now for the public to use.
Autumn
Valle Canyon Pass in Autumn
Valle Canyon Pass, below the eastern side of Cerro Grande, is where, in autumn afternoons, bull elk bellow and their harems throng. This pass is an important connector following the Valles Caldera rim between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain but it’s on VCNP land and off-limits for now. Let’s hope that soon the Valles Caldera National Preserve will open Valle Canyon Pass. It would make a lot of people very happy!
Valles Caldera Southeast Rim: Cerro Grande and Valle Canyon Pass
On this map, Cerro Grande looks like a massive, many-armed mythological creature and it dominates the southeast corner of the Valles Caldera Rim. The official route starts intersects FR 289, the Dome Road. To find the Dome Road, click on the map to enlarge it, and then look in the left-hand corner, just above "2007". The unofficial route can be found at the bottom middle edge of the map, . It goes up the southern arm of Cerro Grande to the top. There is yet another way to go up Cerro Grande but it's just off the bottom edge of this map. Its called the County-Line Trail and its trailhead is located at where the boundary between Sandoval and Los Alamos counties intersects NM-4; there is a small parking spot on the north side of the road.
The bowl-like southern portion of Cerro Grande is the drainage basin that forms the main headwaters of El Rito de los Frijoles which runs through Frijoles Canyon all the way to Bandelier National Monument Headquarters and ends at the Rio Grande. It's not shown on this map but southeast of the intersection of NM-4 and FR 289 (the Dome Road) is a branch of the headwater source for the Rito de los Frijoles, located in the level area of the Upper Frijoles Trails. The sunny overlooks into Frijoles Canyon are perfect places to take a break and enjoy lunch with a view.
To the northeast of Frijoles Canyon is Water Canyon, another major canyon of the Pajarito Plateau, and it drains the area southeast of Cerro Grande. The main headwaters of Water Canyon, there are three branches, originate on a southeastern ridge of Cerro Grande. Valle Canyon is to the northeast of Water Canyon and nestles in between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain, receiving drainage from both as well as being spring fed. Valle Canyon Pass is a divide between the Valle Canyon drainage and the Valles Caldera drainage; thus, it's part of the Valles Caldera topographic rim. Valle Canyon's fate is to eventually drain into Water Canyon; while Water Canyon empties into the Rio Grande River.
Special thanks to Donald and Dorothy Hoard for their encouragement and help on this project.
Winter
Snowshoers Starting up Official Cerro Grande Route in Bandelier National MonumentThe official Cerro Grande Route trailhead and parking is across NM-4 from Bandelier's Upper Frijoles Trails. There is overflow parking nearby at the intersection of the Dome Road, Forest Road (FR) 289, and NM-4. Cerro Grande is on the Valles Caldera southeast rim and this official route gets to the top of Cerro Grande in 2 very steep miles. The trip is well worth it any time of year!
Cerro Grande High Pass in WinterThis is the high pass between Cerro Grande and an unnamed peak to the southwest and is the final steep trek before the summit. Fog and flurries rolled in all day, making the landscape a study in black and white.
Foggy View into Valle Grande from Cerro Grande’s SummitThis was the best view into the Valle Grande on a foggy, frosty winter day! On a clear day, you can see stupendous views of the north rim of the caldera as well as the Valle Grande, Redondo, and the south rim. You can also look away from the caldera and see all the way to Sandia Mountain with all the enchanted backcountry of Bandelier National Monument in between!
Spring
In Bandelier National Monument on the Official Cerro GrandeRoute
The official Cerro Grande Route is a way to get onto the southeast rim from Scooter Peak on the south rim. The hiker is walking a section that parallels a branch of Frijoles Canyon. The headwaters of the El Rito de Los Frijoles originate up high on Cerro Grande and flow down Frijoles Canyon all the way to the Rio Grande.
The ridge above the greening aspens is the easternmost arm of Cerro Grande. There is an unofficial route in Bandelier National Monument that goes up this ridge to Cerro Grande’s summit. It is slightly longer but has a more gentle grade. On the way up, there are great views of the Water Canyon drainage west of Los Alamos and the whole Rio Grande Valley. Check Eclectic Resources on this website for a book by Joan and Gary Salzman which gives directions to this unofficial route.
Cerro Grande High Pass in SpringOn September 10, 2005 when the official Cerro Grande Route opened and the mountain saw more people on it than it had for 30 years, I watched from high above this pass as an elk peered out of the woods and cautiously hesitated before scampering across. The hike remains very popular.
Beyond the high pass, the heavily treed slopes of Scooter Peak and Rabbit Ridge end at NM-4, which curves along the Valle Grande.
Redondo in Valle Grande from above Cerro Grande’s High PassSouth Mountain is the peak to the left of Redondo. In front of it is the petite, forested knob of Cerro la Jara, where the Valles Caldera National Preserve’s Valle Grande Staging Area is located. Both are moat rhyolite domes of the caldera which means they sprung up around the edge of the caldera’s outer ring fracture.
Near Cerro la Jara is where you can check in for most activities offered on the Preserve. Parking, restrooms, and a small gift shop are here also. Drop by for their hour long History and Geology tours--only $5 each and no reservation is needed. Find the days and times these are offered by clicking on the calendar on the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) website
Handline Used to Fight Cerro Grande FireThis path starts at the top of Cerro Grande and descends north, following a handline that was cut during the fighting of the May 2000 Cerro Grande Fire. It begins as an idyllic walk in a pretty woods on a well-worn trail but soon turns steep and rock-strewn! It’s very doable, though, even in deep snow on snowshoes. The route is easy to follow because it essentially keeps to a heavily treed, north-south trending ridge. The sides of the path are littered with cut trees from the construction of the handline so you know for sure you’re following it. Since the handline is on the VCNP, it is off-limits for now.
This section of the Valles Caldera rim running from the top of Cerro Grande to the top of Pajarito Mountain via Valle Canyon Pass is key to opening up the chance for hikers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, runners, bicyclist, birders, wildflower enthusiasts, and all who love the outdoors, to have great car shuttle hikes between Cerro Grande, Pajarito Mountain and Valle Canyon.
In 2008, the VCNP will continue its planning for public use and access. The Valles Caldera National Preserve official
Walking the Handline on Cerro Grande’s North ArmValles Caldera Rim Trail volunteers are going down a rocky part of the handline. This doesn’t look as steep as the part I’ve nicknamed Elevator Shaft!
Walking down the handline, you catch pocket glimpses through the trees of the caldera on one side and Pajarito Mountain on the other. There is even a postage stamp view of Tschicoma to the far north.
Rock Field on Cerro Grande SaddleHazy view of Cerro del Medio can be seen from a small rock field on the handline. If you position yourself just right, there are far off views of Redondo and of Garita Ridge-Hunter’s Point. If tippy rocks are not your style, you can easily bypass this felsenmeer by going around it in the woods.
Valle Canyon PassPilgrims entering the fabled, promised land--Valle Canyon Pass, below the heavily treed southern flank of Pajarito Mountain.
This is the pass that is on VCNP land and is closed to the public. Valle Canyon Pass is such an important connector for the Valles Caldera Rim Trail because without it, there’s a huge gap on the Valles Caldera rim that’s impossible to otherwise bridge between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain. The Valles Caldera Rim Trail as a cohesive whole are essentially dead-in-the-water if Valle Canyon Pass is not opened up. The rim between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain has the potential to be the most well-used section because of its easy access via paved roads from nearby sizable population centers. The Valles Caldera National Preserve is public land and there’s no good reason why this connector cannot be opened up now for the public to use.
Autumn
Valle Canyon Pass in AutumnValle Canyon Pass, below the eastern side of Cerro Grande, is where, in autumn afternoons, bull elk bellow and their harems throng. This pass is an important connector following the Valles Caldera rim between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain but it’s on VCNP land and off-limits for now. Let’s hope that soon the Valles Caldera National Preserve will open Valle Canyon Pass. It would make a lot of people very happy!
Valles Caldera Southeast Rim: Cerro Grande and Valle Canyon PassOn this map, Cerro Grande looks like a massive, many-armed mythological creature and it dominates the southeast corner of the Valles Caldera Rim. The official route starts
The bowl-like southern portion of Cerro Grande is the drainage basin that forms the main headwaters of El Rito de los Frijoles which runs through Frijoles Canyon all the way to Bandelier National Monument Headquarters and ends at the Rio Grande. It's not shown on this map but southeast of the intersection of NM-4 and FR 289 (the Dome Road) is a branch
To the northeast of Frijoles Canyon is Water Canyon, another major canyon of the Pajarito Plateau, and it drains the area southeast of Cerro Grande. The main headwaters of Water Canyon, there are three branches, originate on a southeastern ridge of Cerro Grande. Valle Canyon is to the northeast of Water Canyon and nestles in between Cerro Grande and Pajarito Mountain, receiving drainage from both as well as being spring fed. Valle Canyon Pass is a divide between the Valle Canyon drainage and the Valles Caldera drainage; thus, it's part of the Valles Caldera topographic rim. Valle Canyon's fate is to eventually drain into Water Canyon; while Water Canyon empties into the Rio Grande River.
Special thanks to Donald and Dorothy Hoard for their encouragement and help on this project.