by Susie Morgan
For daily visitors, the terrain is the drawing card. As one of only three super-volcanoes in the United States, riding in the Valle Grande is truly a special experience unmatched by other terrain. To compliment the Grande which is 14 miles long and 10 miles wide, conifers and Aspens rim the giant concave meadow offering a totally different riding experience. Valles Caldera also boasts the largest indigenous elk herd in New Mexico which are routinely seen grazing or bedded down nearby the Visitors Center.
There is a special day to ride coming up October 16th through the Northern New Mexico Horsemen’s Association. There is no better time to ride The Grande for weather and footing than October. You need to be a member of the association, but the annual fee is only $20. Contact Julie Belt to sign up at juliabelt@gmail.com More details here: october-16th-ride-vcnp
The Valles Caldera has gone Hollywood too, as the popular TV series “Longmire” is filmed using the historical cabin at the edge of the Grande as the home of the Sherriff. The Preserve is a reasonable 1 ½ hour drive from Santa Fe passing through Los Alamos – another famous locale.
September 2015, there was concern that public accessibility would change when National Parks assumed management. As horsemen, we were particularly concerned as many National Parks and Preserves do not permit horseback riding unless a concessionaire had rights to rent out horses.
Thanks to many organizations including and Santa Fe County Horse Coalition and Back Country Horsemen, and individual horsemen that rose to the occasion to express strong interest in continuing to have access to the Preserve, not only was horseback riding retained – it was expanded.
Under previous management, permits were required for special access; normally only the trails known as Banco Bonito were open to equestrians. Further, Banco Bonito days were limited to weekends only from May until September.
National Parks made the best decision possible declaring all trails in the Preserve as Multi-Use trails and opening the Park to all users whenever the Preserve is open. Further, as a property under the management of National Parks, entrance fee is a reasonable $10 per rider and access for persons under 16 or at least 62 years old and holding the Pass is free. The Pass never expires and applies to all National Parks and Preserves.
A permit is still required for access, but it is not necessary to obtain that in advance. If you plan to take a horse vacation to Santa Fe, the Valles Caldera should be on your priority list of places to ride. Few places in the United States offer this rare experience.
Plan your visit: https://www.nps.gov/vall/planyourvisit/horseback-riding.htm
NNMHA Information: http://nnmha.weebly.com/
NNMHA Application form: http://nnmha.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/2/0/26200067/nnmha_application-fillable.pdf