Jemez Mountains

Understand

While the Jemez Mountains may look like part of the Rocky Mountains, they are distinct from the Rockies geologically, and are the remnant of a "super-volcano" that had a catastrophic eruption about a million years ago, with several lesser but still significant eruptions since then. This violent past shapes many of the attractions of the region: Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument sit on a great ash flow from the climactic eruption, while Valles Caldera National Preserve contains a number of volcanic features and preserves the eruptive center itself. You'll enjoy your sightseeing in the mountains more if you do a little homework to understand what you're seeing; web pages that provide good stuff on the geology, without requiring education as a geologist to grok it, are:

Jemez Mountains pages at Volcano World Valles Caldera page at the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program The Jemez were the scene of several major forest fires in the latter part of the 20th century, the most serious of which destroyed a number of homes in Los Alamos and nearly 50,000 acres of forest. These fires have had lasting effects on recreational opportunities in the mountains. Several previously excellent hiking areas are either closed altogether or severely restricted because of fire damage. Considerable rethinking of fire-prevention goals and policies is in progress, with the result that limitations on open campfires, etc., may seem a little restrictive. Please honor these restrictions; several of the fires resulted from poorly-constructed campfires, and residents of the area are understandably skittish about it happening again.

Flora and fauna The forest is predominantly coniferous, with piñon/juniper "scrub" at the lowest elevations that gives way to ponderosa pines mid-range and spruce/fir forest higher up. Aspens are intermixed with the conifers above about 8000' (2400 meters) and provide additional color, particularly in fall. Timberline is unusually high,

Getting there

The nearest major airport is in Albuquerque. Apart from brief (hours-long) closures due to snowstorms, state highways into the mountains (SR 4/502 on the southeast and southwest, SR 96 on the north and northwest) are generally passable year-round, unlike some of the roads in the higher Sangre de Cristo Mountains nearby. Be careful, however, about west-side access via SR 126 from Cuba to La Cueva. This road looks tempting on a map, and in summer can be an enjoyable drive, but it is unpaved for much of its length and has sections that can be hazardous or impassable following winter storms. Going the "long way" from Cuba to San Ysidro and then on 4 to La Cueva may be necessary at such times.

Getting around

Drive. State highways within the range pose no problems getting around, with the one caveat regarding NM 126 in winter and early spring. High-clearance vehicles are desirable for many of the obscure forest roads as well as some leading to private homes, etc., in the boonies. There is no public transportation to speak of in this region, and traffic volume is so low over most of it that hitchhiking is likely to be unrewarding. The many trails in the forest are generally accessible to hikers, horses, and mountain bikes. Motorized travel is forbidden in the San Pedro Parks Wilderness, but there are a number of abandoned logging roads outside the wildernesses that are suitable for ORVs and dirt bikes. (Please operate responsibly; damage in this terrain and climate takes a long time to heal.) Trails and, to a lesser extent, logging roads in the high country tend to be soggy until June or even July due to snowmelt. In much of the area, snowshoes are more satisfactory for winter travel than skis or snowmobiles, because of the steepness and narrowness of the trails. Sparse snow makes all of these means of travel marginal at elevations below 8000' or so. Although most of the mountains have relatively gentle slopes, there is some potential for avalanche hazard.

See

The best road for viewing the unique volcanic scenery is New Mexico SR 4, connecting Los Alamos and San Ysidro. There are several scenic turnoffs as SR 4 passes through Valle Grande, part of the Valles Caldera (a supervolcano) and now managed by the Valles Caldera National Preserve. During the warmer months, a large elk herd inhabits Valle Grande and can often be seen from these turnoffs (bring the biggest binoculars you have). There are also nice picnic areas along SR 4, at Fenton Lake State Park on SR 126, and in Santa Clara Canyon, on the territory of Santa Clara Pueblo on the east side. A fee is charged to enter Santa Clara Canyon. Stop en route and see the archaeological sites of the Puye Cliff Dwellings. Just before you reach Los Alamos, a turn-off to the right takes you up to the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area. The top of the ski area is on the rim of the Valles Caldera and has a great view of Valle Grande; in summer the lifts are open intermittently for hikers and mountain bikers. Overnight camping is allowed by permit at the adjacent Camp May, a Los Alamos County park. Jemez State Monument on SR 4 near Jemez Springs (open 8:30AM-5PM except Tuesdays and some holidays, small fee) preserves American Indian and mission ruins of considerable archaeological interest, with a short interpretive trail. Jemez Pueblo on the western slopes is one of the less "tourist-friendly" of the New Mexico American Indian pueblos, but is open for limited visits on certain feast days. Jemez pottery is excellent and can sometimes be obtained at roadside stands in the stunning red-rock country near the pueblo.

Do

Many of the region's activities are covered in the separate articles on Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos. A few that don't fit into one of these areas:

Valles Caldera National Preserve is a new and unusual unit of the national park system that doubles as a working ranch. Activities include hiking, fishing (restricted access), and winter sports that can be spectacular in years with heavy snowfall or nearly nonexistent in drought years. Check the web site to see what's available when you're visiting; recreational activities are still undergoing planning and development. Rock climbers can find interesting single-pitch sport climbing on some of the basalt cliffs along SR 4 west of the preserve, in some cases barely a hundred feet (30 m) from SR 4. There are a number of hot springs in the southwest part of the range where you can soak following a day on the trails or ski slopes. Most are "wild" and undeveloped, some requiring a short hike (and see under "Stay safe"), but Jemez Springs has two developed springs: the village-owned Jemez Springs Bath House, and private Giggling Springs . Both accept walk-ins, but reservations at Jemez Springs Bath House are a good idea on summer weekends.

Hiking and backpacking The San Pedro Parks Wilderness offers excellent hiking once the snow has melted. By far the most important trailheads into San Pedro Parks are near San Gregori