Capulin Volcano National Monument

Capulin Volcano National Monument provides access to nature’s most awe-inspiring work. Come view a dramatic landscape—a unique place of mountains, plains, and sky—born of fire and forces continually reshaping the earth’s surface.

Capulin Volcano Picnic Area

Picnic Area at Capulin Volcano with around 10 picnic tables

• 10 shaded picnic tables, 2 of which are wheelchair accessible, surrounded by grey and brownish red volcanic rock piles and nestled in among pinon pine, ponderosa pine, and juniper trees along with gambel oak thickets. There is a restroom with flush toilets and drinking water available in the middle and to the east side of the paved parking area which can accommodate 21 vehicles. The Lava Flow Trail, a 1 mile unpaved loop that winds around hardened lava features, takes off from the south side of the parking area. The Boca Trail, a 2 mile unpaved loop that crosses the road and winds through hardened lava lake meadows and past 2 collapsed lava tubes, takes off from the north side of the parking area.

Collapsed Lava Tube at Capulin Volcano

One of two collapsed Lava Tubes along the Boca Trail

• The collapsed lava tube is a pile of large grayish volcanic boulders about a tenth of a mile long and 20 feet wide in front of you. The far side of the collapsed lava tube is a 20 foot tall cliff of grayish volcanic material. On either side of the area is a gambel oak thicket, praire grass, and scattered pinon pine and juniper trees. A brown signpost reads Collapsed Lava Tube and another sign indicates a trail direction change.

Crater Vent at Capulin Volcano

The vent from which the cinder cone volcano at Capulin Volcano National Monument formed.

• At the end of the Crater Vent Trail is a sign that talks about how the Capulin Volcano's cinder cone was formed. The vent is a pile of large gray basalt volcanic rock just past the sign at the lowest depression of the crater. The sides of the crater are covered in gambel oak brush, prairie grasses, chokecherry, and other bushes. To the west, the crater rises 100 feet above the vent, and to the east, the crater rises 415 feet above the vent.

Historic Chimney at Capulin Volcano

Explore a historic chimney made of lava rock on the Boca Trail! Near a collapsed lava tube, this chimney is all that remains of a picnic shelter dating back to the time when Capulin Volcano National Monument had a campground.

• The chimney is around 6 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 7 feet tall made out of grayish lava rock held together by cement. It has 2 openings 2 feet by 1 foot on either side for a fireplace and is smaller at the top than it is at the bottom. The fireplace sits in an open grassy area surrounded by gambel oak brush thickets and occasionally a ponderosa pine tree. To the south of the chimney, through the gambel oak brush is a collapsed lava tube. There is a brown wooden sign with the words "Collapsed Lava Tube" and beyond it is large grayish lava rocks covered in lichen tumbling down into a depression.

Night Sky Viewing Area at Capulin Volcano

An area of the park that is open to the public 24/7 to view the sky at night. Please do not build fires in this area or camp overnight in this area.

• Oversized vehicle parking area near the visitor center at Capulin Volcano National Monument. The area is paved and able to accommodate large vehicles. The visitor center building is located to the north of the parking area, with the slope of the volcano rising in the east.

Quaking Aspen Overlook

Hike the Boca Trail for an amazing view of two other volcanoes in the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. Standing on the hardened remains of a lava cascade, the Quaking Aspen Overlook provides an excellent view of the volcanic geology near Capulin Volcano.

• Large, grayish brown blocks of hardened lava covered in lichen cover the ground at your feet and slope downhill. The landscape is a mix of prairie grass and a pinon-juniper tree forest with one quaking aspen tree at the bottom of the tumble of lava rock. In the distance about 10 miles away on the left is Jose Butte, a volcano with a slated top covered in prairie grass. Also in the distance around 10 miles away to the right is Robinson Peak, a volcano with 3 peaks (one tallest and two lower on either side) covered in a mix of trees and prairie grass. Between you and the volcanoes, at the bottom of the lava cascade is New Mexico Highway 325.

Sierra Grande Volcano Overlook

Overlook of Sierra Grande Volcano from the Lava Flow Trail

• A pile of dark gray volcanic rock covered in lichen marks this southeast facing overlook. A pinon pine tree is to the right, while gambel oak covers some of the volcanic rock to the left. Prairie grass covers the view ahead with scattered pinon pine and juniper trees until the base of Sierra Grande volcano 10 miles in the distance. Sierra Grande has gently sloping sides covered in a pinon pine and juniper forest until the top which is bald (or covered in prairie grass). Several metal antennas can be seen at the topmost point of Sierra Grande.

Top of Capulin Volcano

The highest elevation of Capulin Volcano is 8182 feet (or 2494 meters) above sea level and can be accessed by hiking the Crater Rim Trail.

• There are three signs on the east side of the trail that describe the mesas and volcanoes that can be seen from this spot and the phases of eruption of the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. On the west side of the trail are dead pinon pine and juniper trees (killed by drought). In the summer, the bases of these trees are covered in ladybug clusters. When looking northeast, the first volcano seen is Mud Hill, an old cinder cone volcano, and just past that is Baby Capulin, a small young cinder cone volcano. To the east on clear days is Black Mesa in Oklahoma. To the west is Johnson Mesa. To the south is Sierra Grande, a large, old adesitic shield volcano.

Volcano Road Parking

Drive to the top of a volcano and view the western part of the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field as well as the crater of Capulin Volcano from this parking area.

• A paved parking lot with space for 20 vehicles at the end of Volcano Road surrounded on three sides by a sidewalk and low retaining wall made of volcanic rock. To the west, there are three signs about the area and views of the Sangre de Christo mountains and Jose Butte and Robinson Peak (two other volcanoes). To the east, there is one sign about the eruption and views of the volcanic vent and crater of Capulin Volcano. In the southeast corner of the parking area is a short sidewalk to two restrooms (vault toilets). In the southwest corner of the parking area are two staircases and a sign on the trails starting here. The staircase heading downhill leads to the Crater Vent Trail and the staircase leading uphill heading uphill leads to the Crater Rim Trail.

Capulin Volcano Visitor Center

• Capulin Volcano Visitor Center
• The Visitor Center is at the base of Capulin Volcano and includes a fee and information station, exhibits, theater for the park film, restrooms, and a park bookstore. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• View the Night Sky at Capulin Volcano
• View the night sky at a volcano! Capulin Volcano National Monument is a International Dark Sky Place, which means thousands of stars are visible in the night sky. On Saturday evenings during the summer, rangers conduct dark sky programs here.

• Hike Trails at the Base of Capulin Volcano
• The trails at the base of Capulin Volcano are less traveled and quieter than the ones on the top and offer a different view of the volcanic geology here.

• Drive to the Top of Capulin Volcano
• Drive to the top of an extinct cinder cone volcano on a historic road. Once at the top you can enjoy the views from the parking area or hike trails down into the crater of the volcano or around the rim of the crater.

• Explore the Visitor Center at Capulin Volcano
• Learn more about volcanoes and Capulin's eruption by exploring the exhibits in the visitor center.

• Become a Junior Ranger at Capulin Volcano
• Learn about volcanoes, geology, and the history of Capulin Volcano while completing the Junior Ranger Program! Once you've finished the number of activities required for your age, turn the booklet in at the visitor center to earn a Junior Ranger badge or patch.

Boca Trail

Come take a hike along the Boca Trail, a 2 mile loop at the base of Capulin Volcano! Most of the lava that erupted from Capulin Volcano erupted from vents in the boca on the western side of the cinder cone. Lava features including levees, lava lakes, and collapsed lava tubes can be seen along this trail.

Crater Rim Trail

Come take a hike around the rim of Capulin Volcano! With amazing views of the surrounding landscape, this 1 mile (1.6 kilometer) loop trail skirts the rim of the crater at the top of Capulin Volcano and takes you to the tallest point of the mountain at 8182 feet (2494 meters) elevation.

Crater Vent Trail

Take a hike down to the vent that Capulin Volcano erupted from in the center of the crater! This short quarter mile trail descends 100 feet (around 30 meters) in elevation from the parking area at the top of the volcano down into the center of the crater.

Lava Flow Trail

Come hike the Lava Flow Trail, a 1 mile loop at the base of Capulin Volcano! Passing over the third series of lava flows to erupt from Capulin Volcano, this trail offer great views of the volcanoes to the south and east of Capulin Volcano.