Down in the Valles

Valle Caldera National Preserve has some big plans for the new year

Karl F. Moffatt | For The New Mexican

1/2/2008 - 1/3/08

The air is biting cold, but the winter sun shines bright as the musty odor of horses washes over the gently swaying sled.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve is open for business again this winter with sleigh rides, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on a fresh layer of deep, dazzling snow.

"This is awesome," said Courtney Harris, of Albuquerque, as she enjoyed an outing with her family on New Year's Day. "The scenery is breathtaking. It's so relaxing."

Harris' family joined the Mocklers of Santa Fe and the Schmidts of Los Alamos in the bed of the sleigh, seated atop hay bails and bundled beneath blankets, as they ventured through the shadows of the woods.

"They're slow and steady," the driver, John Sharp, said of his team of American Cream draft horses, Chip and Champ.

Preserve guide Larry Sellers patiently answered questions from his seat in the rear of the sleigh while pointing out the massive girth of a towering Ponderosa pine.

"This area was never logged, so some of these trees are 400 or 500 years old," he said.

The passengers gazed out at the vast, bowl-shaped expanse of the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera, an ancient collapsed volcano that once held a massive lake.

Sellers explained how, about 53,000 years ago, a quake shook the earth and opened a seam from which the lake spilled, its rushing waters carving the canyon that now leads down to Jemez Springs.

The New Year's Day sleigh ride was the last of the opening week of the winter season — six straight days of winter fun for hundreds of guests who took advantage of holiday festivities, Sharp said.

More fun can be had on upcoming weekends and on free-access days scheduled for Presidents Day and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on moonlit nights are also scheduled for every other Saturday night starting Jan. 5 until the end of March or until there's no more snow, said Recreation Coordinator Rob Dixon, a graduate of the College of Santa Fe and former Navy combat medic.

There might even be some night rides in the sleigh or wagon when the temperatures pick up a bit, Dixon said.

"The temperature drops fast once the sun goes down behind those mountains," he said. "It was 28-below zero here last night."

For a schedule of upcoming events, or to make reservations, visit the preserve's Web site at www.vallescaldera.gov or call the preserve office at (505) 661-3333.

Dixon conceded he has a difficult job in trying to satisfy the public's desire to explore and enjoy what was once locally known as "The Baca" while continuing to protect the preserve's near pristine environment.

"So we're taking it slow to protect the place," he said. "But I can't stress enough how important the public's input is in determining the programs we put in place."

The preserve is looking for public input regarding a proposed overnight-camping program, and people who want to influence the outcome need to get involved, he said.

"We're always looking for volunteers too, dependable people, who can work the parking lots, patrol trails and assist the public," he said. "They play a big role in whether we're successful or not."

Hikers, like Talitha Arnold, a minister at the Untied Church of Santa Fe, said she appreciates the preserve's slow pace in developing public-use programs.

"It's an incredible place," she said. "The first time I came here I felt like I was walking on sacred ground. I'm glad they're restricting people and taking a scientific approach to preserving it so it doesn't just become another theme park."

Permits and fees are required for most of the preserve's programs as the ranch's operations are mandated to be self-sustaining in the future.

Those interested in getting involved in efforts at the preserve can also join the group Friends of the Valles Caldera. For more information, visit their Web site at www.losamigosde vallescaldera.org.

The government bought the spectacular ranch from the Dunigan family of Texas in 2000 for a little over a $100 million.

The preserve is well known for its trophy bull elk and boasts a resident population of about 3,500 of the massive animals. A typical hunting season results in the culling of about 250 to 270 animals with success rates running as high as 70 percent, he said.

In the summer, anglers can apply to the preserve's lottery system to draw a permit to fish for trout in the upper stretch of the popular San Antonio River. The river is divided up into 10, 1-mile-long parcels of water which allow anglers the chance to fish an untouched piece of stream for one day.

Hikers can enjoy any number of trails through the preserve and get free access to two trails, Coyote Call and the Valle Grande Trail, on the south side of N.M. 4, across the highway from ranch headquarters.

This summer, under a proposed plan, anglers may be allowed to fish the heavily populated waters of the East Fork of the Jemez River which runs through the meadows fronting the highway, Dixon said.

The proposed plan would allow some daily access without having to go through a lottery system. Anglers could simply show up and fish, Dixon said.

The proposal is still in the planning stages, and public comment on the issue is encouraged, Dixon said. Comments can be sent to
comments@vallescaldera.gov or, by mail, to the Valles Caldera Trust at PO Box 359, Jemez Springs, NM, 87025.

As the sleigh ride came to an end, Sharp pulled up the horses to allow passengers to watch as a coyote loped across an open field, its nose to the ground.

Sellers explained how the coyote will use its finely tuned hearing to listen for the sound of rodents scurrying about under the snow and leap high into the air to pounce upon its unsuspecting prey.

Riding back to the parking area in a warm van, the group chatted excitedly about their afternoon and enjoyed the camaraderie of having enjoyed a special day together.

"This was way too cool," said one heavily bundled kid.

IF YOU GO

From Santa Fe, head north on U.S. 84/285 to Pojoaque and take N.M. 502 to White Rock. Follow N.M. 4 through the mountains. Upon emerging into an open area, look for the entrance to the preserve on your right. The journey is about 65 miles long, round trip.

A longer but even more scenic trip involves heading south on Interstate 25 to Bernalillo. Take N.M. 550 west to the N.M. 4 turn off at San Ysidro, passing through Jemez Pueblo, Jemez Springs and La Cueva to the preserve. Head back to Santa Fe through White Rock and Pojoaque. About 170 miles.