On a stunningly beautiful March day, with temperatures in the 70s, we decided to take a short drive down to Raton and points east yesterday.
Twenty miles east of Raton you will find Capulin Volcano National Monument. This volcano erupted into existence 60,000 years ago. Capulin’s conical form rises 1,300 feet above the plains and reaches 8,180 feet above sea level. A curvy paved road takes you up to the top where you can look down into a caldera or volcanic crater.
The best part? The incredible views looking west! If you look carefully you will see the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in the distance. Those are the mountains we see from our patio west of Walsenburg.
Check out Mount Capulin sometime and learn more about how volcanos form.
2 thoughts on “Capulin Volcano in Northern New Mexico”
I love Capulin. The view from there is spectacular. I was once sitting on the wall at the top enjoying the view and two training jets flew by _below_ me! Gave a real perspective on how far up I was. Have you checked out the dinosaur footprints at Clayton Lake State Park? It’s a little further down the road, but still an easy day trip from Walsenburg. We did that once while there on spring break and had the park to ourselves.
Adventures of the NEW Old Farts 
I love Capulin. The view from there is spectacular. I was once sitting on the wall at the top enjoying the view and two training jets flew by _below_ me! Gave a real perspective on how far up I was. Have you checked out the dinosaur footprints at Clayton Lake State Park? It’s a little further down the road, but still an easy day trip from Walsenburg. We did that once while there on spring break and had the park to ourselves.
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Yes Ellen, what a fun trip! But we were surprised to be confronted with millions of tiny gnats everywhere! YUCK!
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