The Coyote Call Trail

The Coyote Call Trailhead is located on NM State Road 4, roughly 1.6 miles east of the turn-off for the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The parking area is located on the south side of the road.

The Coyote Call Trail offers hikers the chance to take a pleasant walk along the wall of an ancient volcano, while providing outstanding scenic views into the Valle Grande of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. This relatively easy route traces a loop along the hillside of the caldera itself.

Although we didn’t actually see or hear any coyotes during our hike, we did see several hawks soaring along the thermal updrafts, as well as plenty of evidence of elk having bedded down in the grass the night before our hike. The park is also home to mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, prairie dogs, as well as bald and golden eagles.

The hike begins with a moderate climb through an open grassy meadow. Along this stretch you’ll pass through stands of ponderosa pine, as well as young and mature aspens. This stretch also offers an abundance of wildflowers during the early summer period. The upper portions of the hike travel through long stretches of dead conifer trees, a result of the Las Conchas Fire that burned more than 156,000 acres in the Bandelier National Monument, Santa Fe National Forest and Los Alamos areas in 2011. The top half of the trail is, for the most part, fairly uneventful. To be honest, the trail didn’t appear to be used much, and maintenance appeared to be quite infrequent. During our hike in 2018 there was quite a bit of overgrowth along the route, though it was still easily passable and easy to follow.

Although the upper portions of the loop didn’t provide much to write home about, the lower portions provide outstanding views of the Valle Grande. This thirteen-mile-wide valley, which is actually a volcanic caldera, was formed when the earth collapsed after a catastrophic volcanic eruption took place here roughly 1.25 million years ago – a geological event very similar to how Yellowstone was created. The eruption was so powerful that it pushed out 150 cubic miles of lava, and shot ash as far away as to what is now Iowa. Scientists estimate that the volume of material ejected was more than 500 times the amount ejected during the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980.

Today, this extremely beautiful valley is officially known as the Valles Caldera National Preserve. It’s known for its huge mountain meadows, abundance of wildlife, meandering streams, and for preserving the homeland of ancestral native peoples and embracing its rich ranching history. In 2000 Congress purchased the 89,000-acre unit, known then as the historic Baca Ranch, for $100 million. A study conducted in 2009 determined that the Valles Caldera met the stringent criteria for inclusion in the National Park Service, noting its “significant national value and unique, unaltered geology.” In 2013 U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich reintroduced legislation to transfer the management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service. On October 1, 2015 the preserve was officially handed over to the National Park Service. Who knows, perhaps someday it will become a national park.

Several movies have been shot in and around the Valles Caldera, including The Gambler, Buffalo Girls, Last Stand at Saber River, The Missing, Seraphim Falls and most recently, The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp.

While the Coyote Call Trail travels along the southern rim of the caldera, a nice compliment to this hike is the La Jara Trail, which provides visitors with the chance to explore the valley floor. For an even better option, I highly recommend checking out the hike up to Cerro Grande Peak.


Trail: Coyote Call Trail
RT Distance: 2.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 450 feet
Max Elevation: 9165 feet
TH Location: Near the turn-off for the Valles Caldera National Preserve
Map: Bandelier NM Trails Illustrated Map

Santa Fe - Taos Hiking Guide: - The Santa Fe­ - Taos area contains a wide selection of easily accessible trails throughout its mountains and high desert places - where outdoor enthusiasts can explore the diverse topography and ecosystems of northern New Mexico year-round. Now for the first time in one convenient volume, veteran local guidebook author Bob D'Antonio introduces you to 52 great hikes within an hour of these two towns. From alpine peaks to sage-covered mesas, northern New Mexico offers incredible hiking opportunities - and this guide leads you to the best.

La Jara Trail

The La Jara Trail is another scenic meadow hike in the Valles Caldera National Preserve. This easy 1.5-mile loop, which begins from the Valle Grande Visitor Center, circumnavigates Cerro La Jara, a now tree-covered rhyolite lava dome that rises roughly 245 feet above the Valle Grande floor. Since this is a self-interpretative trail, you’ll have the option of borrowing a trail guide from the visitor center, if you wish to learn more about the area. Visitors may also want to note that the entire hike travels through open meadows, and is therefore fully exposed to the prevailing weather elements.

This predominantly flat hike begins in the middle of a prairie dog town. Hikers should also keep an eye out for golden eagles, hawks, mountain bluebirds, brewer’s blackbirds and barn swallows. Black bears, coyotes, badgers and elk can also be seen here as well. In fact, the entire La Jara Trail passes through outstanding elk habitat, and is considered to be an ideal calving ground. As a result, the Valles Caldera is home to the second largest elk population in New Mexico.

At the visitor center there was a family of nesting barn swallows that built their home under the roof of the porch. Hanging feeders also attracted several hungry hummingbirds.

As the trail travels around Cerro La Jara hikers will be treated to expansive views of the Valle Grande, as well as the hills and mountains. This thirteen-mile-wide valley, which is actually a volcanic caldera, was formed when the earth collapsed after a catastrophic volcanic eruption took place here roughly 1.25 million years ago – a geological event very similar to how Yellowstone was created. The eruption was so powerful that it pushed out 150 cubic miles of lava, and shot ash as far away as to what is now Iowa. Scientists estimate that the volume of material ejected was more than 500 times the amount ejected by the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption.

Today this extremely beautiful valley is officially known as the Valles Caldera National Preserve. It’s known for its huge mountain meadows, abundant wildlife, meandering streams, and for preserving the homeland of ancestral native peoples and embracing its rich ranching history. In 2000 Congress purchased the 89,000-acre unit, known as the historic Baca Ranch, for $100 million. A study conducted in 2009 determined that the Valles Caldera met the high criteria for inclusion in the National Park Service, noting its significant national value and unique, unaltered geology. In 2013 U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich reintroduced legislation to transfer the management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service. On October 1, 2015 the preserve was officially handed over to the National Park Service. Who knows, perhaps someday it will become a national park.

Several movies have been shot in and around the Valles Caldera, including The Gambler, Buffalo Girls, Last Stand at Saber River, The Missing, Seraphim Falls and most recently, The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp.

While the La Jara Trail explores the valley floor, a nice compliment to this hike is the Coyote Call Trail, which provides visitors with the chance to see the valley from the southern rim of the caldera. For an even better option, I highly recommend checking out the hike up to Cerro Grande Peak.


Trail: La Jara Trail
RT Distance: 1.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 25 feet
Max Elevation: ~8500 feet
TH Location: Valle Grande Visitor Center
Map: Bandelier NM Trails Illustrated Map

Santa Fe - Taos Hiking Guide: - The Santa Fe­ - Taos area contains a wide selection of easily accessible trails throughout its mountains and high desert places - where outdoor enthusiasts can explore the diverse topography and ecosystems of northern New Mexico year-round. Now for the first time in one convenient volume, veteran local guidebook author Bob D'Antonio introduces you to 52 great hikes within an hour of these two towns. From alpine peaks to sage-covered mesas, northern New Mexico offers incredible hiking opportunities - and this guide leads you to the best.

Wheeler Peak: the Highest Point in New Mexico

One of the main objectives during our first trip to New Mexico in 2006 was to climb Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico. With a round-trip trek of 15 miles and a climb of roughly 4150 feet, this would be the toughest hike either one us had ever attempted.

Located in the Carson National Forest, Wheeler Peak is about 90 miles north of Santa Fe in the Sangre De Cristo (Blood of Christ) range. To reach the summit we took the Wheeler Peak Trail (also known by locals as the Bull-of-the-Woods Trail), which begins from the Twining Campground at the Taos Ski Area.

Standing at 13,161 feet Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in New Mexico. It’s located within the Sangre De Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains, which is considered to be the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. Generally speaking, the climbing season for this mountain runs from late May through November. Because we happened to hike this trail at the very beginning of the season, we were warned by locals that there would be a section of trail below the treeline where we would most likely run into some snow. Although that section still had quite a bit of snow, we were able to pass through it with only a little extra work.

From the Taos Valley Ski Area the Wheeler Peak Trail (#90) proceeds in a northeasterly direction towards the Bull-of-the-Woods Pasture. At roughly eight-tenths of a mile it crosses over the Rio Hondo, and shortly thereafter you’ll arrive at the Long Canyon Trail junction. Hikers should stay to the right here.

At roughly 2.1 miles you’ll arrive at the Bull-of-the-Woods Pasture. Near this pasture, or meadow, the trail intersects with the Gold Hill Trail. Hikers should again stay to the right to continue on the main trail, which now makes a sharp turn towards the southeast. Shortly thereafter it begins to climb the northern slopes of Bull-of-the-Woods Mountain. You should note that while hiking in this area you'll be passing through private property.

The trail continues along the western slopes of Bull-of-the-Woods Mountain to a saddle along its southern flank, located roughly 3.2 miles from the trailhead. From here the trail begins to ascend towards 12,163-foot Frazer Mountain. As it crosses over to skirt along Frazer’s eastern slopes, hikers will cross into the Wheeler Peak Wilderness. This 19,661-acre wilderness area is home to bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, marmots, pikas and golden eagles. From this lofty perch, just below the summit, you'll enjoy commanding views of Wheeler Peak and the La Cal Basin towards the south.

Just beyond the summit of Frazer Mountain my wife and I reached another snow field, roughly one-half acre in size. Instead of walking around it we decided to walk over it, as it seemed to have a pretty firm crust. We were almost to the middle when I made the mistake of walking a little too close to Kathy, which created too much weight within a small surface area, and thus I broke through the crust. A little shocked at the suddenness of it all, I found myself waist deep in snow. Lesson learned!

From Frazer Mountain the trail drops roughly 360 feet to reach La Cal Basin, a favorite camping spot for backpackers. From the basin the trail climbs almost 1400 feet to reach the summit of Mount Walter. At 13,133 feet, Mount Walter is the second highest named peak in New Mexico. However, it’s usually not considered to be an independent mountain because it only has 53 feet of topographic prominence.

From Mount Walter the path leads you along a narrow ridgeline to reach your final destination, still a little more than a third-of-a-mile away. It was here that we experienced some extremely high winds. As a precautionary measure I held onto Kathy to make sure she didn’t get blown off the mountain! Hikers should note that high winds are fairly common along this stretch.

At roughly 7.5 miles hikers will finally reach the summit of Wheeler Peak. From the top you’ll enjoy spectacular 360-degree views of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, the Taos Valley, as well as Williams Lake in the valley directly below. Wheeler Peak ranks as the eighth highest state high point. It’s named for U.S. Army Major George M. Wheeler who surveyed much of New Mexico in the late 1870s. A plaque at the summit reads as follows:

Named in honor of Major George Montague Wheeler (1832–1909) who for ten years led a party of surveyors and naturalists collecting geologic, biologic, planimetric, and topographic data in New Mexico and six other southwestern states.

Trail: Wheeler Peak Trail (Trail #90)
RT Distance: 15.0 Miles
Elevation Gain: 4150 feet
Max Elevation: 13,161 feet
TH Location: Taos Ski Area
Map: Carson NF Trails Illustrated Map

Santa Fe - Taos Hiking Guide: - The Santa Fe­ - Taos area contains a wide selection of easily accessible trails throughout its mountains and high desert places - where outdoor enthusiasts can explore the diverse topography and ecosystems of northern New Mexico year-round. Now for the first time in one convenient volume, veteran local guidebook author Bob D'Antonio introduces you to 52 great hikes within an hour of these two towns. From alpine peaks to sage-covered mesas, northern New Mexico offers incredible hiking opportunities - and this guide leads you to the best.

Santa Fe: “The City Different”

Although Kathy and I seldom travel to urban areas as a vacation destination - simply because we prefer the great outdoors - Santa Fe is a notable exception. Being a history buff, a bit of a foodie, and an obvious outdoor lover, Santa Fe is ground zero for all three pursuits. It’s from among these qualities that earned the city its nickname; “The City Different”.

The 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards rated Santa Fe as the #2 U.S. destination in the Relaxation & Spa category, #9 for Great Food & Wine, and #10 for Culture and Sightseeing. Also, a recent poll conducted by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine rated Santa Fe as the third most popular travel destination in the U.S.

Founded between 1607 and 1610, Santa Fe is the second oldest city in America. Sitting at 7,000 feet in the foothills of the southern Rocky Mountains, it’s also the highest and oldest state capital in the United States.

For almost 400 years the heart of downtown Santa Fe has been the Plaza where the rich history of American Indian and Spanish culture blends together. The Plaza was also the final destination for wagon trains making the 800-mile journey from Independence, Missouri along the Old Santa Fe Trail.

The Palace of the Governors on the Plaza was built by the Spanish as a government building in 1610, and remains the nation's oldest continuously used public building. Inside is an art and history museum, and under its historic portal Native American artists sell authentic art, crafts and jewelry, as they have been doing on an almost daily basis since 1939.

Just south of the Plaza, on East De Vargas Street, is purported to be the oldest house in the U.S. Although it was built around 1646, there are two other homes in the Northeast that claim to be older.

Our most recent visit happened to occur during the 298th annual Fiesta de Santa Fe, which celebrates the peaceful resettlement of the “City of Holy Faith” in 1692. The Fiesta includes ceremonies, parades, processions, entertainment, Masses, as well as the burning of Zozobra, or "Old Man Gloom", which is a 50-foot tall marionette that symbolizes the hardships and despair of the past year. Mariachi bands are also an important aspect of the four-month long celebration. We happened upon one at an outdoor café on Burro Alley one day as they sang a beautiful song in Spanish. Although neither one of us understood the words or the meaning, there was a woman sitting near the band that began to weep.

Santa Fe is, without a doubt, a gastronomical Mecca. In fact, I was looking forward to the food almost as much as I did the hiking. While in town we ate at the Guadalupe Café, The Shed, the Blue Corn Café and the Santa Fe Brewing Company. Although each restaurant fulfilled our lofty expectations, The Shed was just outstanding. If you ever have the opportunity to visit here, be sure to try the green chili stew.

The Blue Corn Café and the Santa Fe Brewing Company are both local brewpubs offering great Northern New Mexican cuisine and tasty brews, but the beer at the Marble Brewery Tap Room was the clear winner among the three. Both times we visited the Tap Room we watched the crowds attending the Fiesta below, while sipping oatmeal stouts and amber ales from the second story balcony that overlooks the Plaza. The brewery also serves pizzas from an adjacent restaurant, but we didn’t try any.

There were a couple of other restaurants that we had on our radar, such as Tia Sophia’s and Santa Luna, but we just didn’t have enough time or space in our stomachs.

The big question that’s asked at many restaurants in this part of the country is whether you prefer red or green chile. If heat intensity is an issue, note that green is generally hotter, but red is a little earthy or pungent tasting, and usually not as hot. If you’re undecided you can always just go Christmas, meaning you would like both on your dish.

Within close proximity to Santa Fe are many outdoor opportunities; including cycling, rafting, horseback riding, fishing, as well as skiing at several nearby resorts. Numerous hiking opportunities also abound in the Santa Fe National Forest, Bandelier National Monument, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, as well as the 1.5 million-acre Carson National Forest which includes the highest point in New Mexico – the 13,161-foot Wheeler Peak.

If you’ve never been there, Santa Fe is an awesome destination for many reasons. You could easily spend several days to more than a week there, and never do anything more than once.

Fodor's Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque - features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

The Chimney Rock Trail at the Ghost Ranch

Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest.

-- Georgia O'Keeffe

In the early-to-mid Twentieth Century, the Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu was used as a summer home by Georgia O'Keeffe, an artist best known for her paintings of flowers, rocks, shells, animal bones, and landscapes, in particular, those of Northern New Mexico and the Ghost Ranch.

The name "Ghost Ranch," or the local designation, "El Rancho de los Brujos," was derived from the many tales of ghosts and legends of cattle rustler hangings over the course of the ranch's long history. Over the years the ranch has hosted many famous guests, including Charles Lindbergh, Ansel Adams and John Wayne. Even the scientists who worked on the nuclear bomb at Los Alamos took time away from the stresses of the Manhattan Project to relax here. In more recent years several movies have been filmed here, including Red Dawn, Silverado and City Slickers.

Located 65 miles northwest of Santa Fe, the Ghost Ranch today is a retreat and education center run by the Presbyterian Church. The 21,000-acre ranch includes several hiking trails that are open to the public, with the purchase of a day pass. You should also note that the ranch is only open to the public between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

During our visit we hiked the one-and-a-half mile trail to Chimney Rock, one of the most popular destinations on the ranch. This impressive monolith is visible along much of the route. Except for a couple of short steep sections the hike is fairly easy. After crossing the dry stream bed, or arroyo, the trail begins to ascend the ridge that leads to the north end of the mesa. For the most part the trail travels over gentle to moderate terrain until reaching the base of the mesa itself.


After walking about a mile the trail reaches the foot of the mesa. From here it makes a relatively steep, but short climb along rugged terrain to ascend the north side of the flat-topped hill. Once atop the narrow mesa the trail continues to the southern end, before abruptly ending just across from Chimney Rock. This vantage point provides an up-close, birds-eye view of the towering monolith. Hikers will also enjoy commanding 360-degree views of the ranch, the Piedra Lumbre basin, Abiquiu Lake and the surrounding mountains.




With the abundance of red rock, the gold and yellow hues of the mesas and odd rock formations, and just the general beauty of the area, it’s easy to see why O'Keeffe was so easily inspired by this dramatic landscape.

Hikers should exercise caution around the loose rock and sand atop the mesa. In 2012 a man fell to his death when a rock he was either stepping or standing on, broke off while hiking this trail.


Trail: Chimney Rock Trail
RT Distance: 3 miles
Elevation Gain: 630 feet
Max Elevation: 7,060 feet
TH Location: Near the Ghost Ranch museums


Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place - examines the magnificence of O'Keeffe's work through essays by three noted authors. Barbara Buhler Lynes, Curator of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, discusses the relationship of the artist's paintings to the places that inspired her. Frederick Turner contrasts O'Keeffe's fabled aloofness from the well-established art colony in Santa Fe with her intense closeness to the local landscape she so fiercely loved. Lesley Poling-Kempes furnishes a fascinating chronicle of O'Keeffe's years in the region as well as a useful explanation of the geological forces that produced the intense colors and dramatic shapes of the landscapes O'Keeffe painted.



Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe - Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of 98. Her vivid visual vocabulary - sensuous flowers, bleached bones against red sky and earth - had a stunning, profound, and lasting influence on American art in this century. O'Keeffe's personal mystique is as intriguing and enduring as her bold, brilliant canvases. Here is the first full account of her exceptional life - from her girlhood and early days as a controversial art teacher...to her discovery by the pioneering photographer of the New York avant-garde, Alfred Stieglitz...to her seclusion in the New Mexico desert, where she lived until her death.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

At the northern end of the Guadalupe Mountains in New Mexico, and lying more than 750 feet below the surface of the ground, is Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Ansel Adams once said that Carlsbad Caverns is “something that should not exist in relation to human beings. Something that is as remote as the galaxy, incomprehensible as a nightmare, and beautiful in spite of everything.”

Will Rogers called it the "Grand Canyon with a roof on it".

After taking the 75-story elevator down to the lunchroom area, my wife and I began our self-guided tour of the Big Room.

A one-mile paved loop guided us around the perimeter of the natural limestone chamber. The appropriately named "Big Room" is roughly 8.2 acres in size, making it one of the largest chambers in the world. Put another way, you could fit almost 6.2 football fields within the chamber!

During our “hike” we encountered the most park rangers I’ve ever seen on one trail. Mainly to ensure that no one gets off course, or tries to damage or steal any part of the cave, the rangers were also there to answer any questions you might have along the way.

Even in the heat of summer you may want to take a jacket or sweater with you. The cave has a constant year-round temperature of 56 degrees.

Although the NPS did a great job of using front and back lighting to highlight the caves most interesting features and formations, I still had trouble getting good photos with my camera. Here are a couple of the better ones that turned out relatively decent:




Even Kathy, who doesn't particularly like caves, thought the tour was well worth it.

One other tidbit about Carlsbad Caverns you may find interesting: More than a quarter million Mexican free-tailed bats spiral out of the Natural Entrance each evening during the warm months of the year in search of moths and insects. It’s one of the leading spectator attractions for many visitors. The best bat flights normally occur in July and August. At this time baby bats, born in early summer, join the flight along with migrating bats from colonies further north. This NPS Photo by Nick Hristov gives you an idea of what the scene looks like:

By the way, if you happen to suffer from chiroptophobia, or the fear of bats, don’t worry - very few bats, if any, ever make it to the Big Room.



Carlsbad Caverns: The Story Behind the Scenery - The story of Carlsbad Caverns National Park is actually the story of two parks: the one park visitors see on the surface and the one they see underground. The pitch-black underground is as different from the bright sun and blue sky of the surface world as the plants and animals of the Chihuahuan Desert are different from the rocks and minerals of the Cavern.

New Mexico Hikes

  * Wheeler Peak - Located near Taos, Wheeler Peak is the highest point in New Mexico

  * Cerro Grande Route - Bandelier National Monument

  * Tsankawi Loop Trail - Bandelier National Monument

  * Coyote Call Trail - Valles Caldera National Preserve

  * La Jara Trail - Valles Caldera National Preserve

  * Canyon Trail - Tent Rocks National Monument

           > Tent Rocks in Black and White

  * La Vega - Santa Fe National Forest

  * Chimney Rock Trail - Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu

  * White Sands National Monument

  * Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Self-guided tour of the Big Room

  * Santa Fe - “The City Different”

  * Santa Fe - “The City of Holy Faith”

100 Hikes in New Mexico - New Mexico offers a surprising variety of terrain to explore, from the Chihuahuan Desert in the south, to remarkable alpine lakes in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north. In this completely updated guide to New Mexico's impressive trails, author Craig Martin includes easy 1 and 2-mile day jaunts, numerous 8 to 12-mile hikes, and difficult 20-plus-mile backpack trips for the more ardent adventurers.