Reviews of Valles Caldera National Preserve (Tourist Attraction)

Destiny Foster

Dude, prairie dogs everywhere! My friend said it was the inside of a dormant volcano. Lovely weather, surrounded by mountains and tall grasses blowing in the breeze. Gorgeous.

hd filmnoir

Valles Caldera is a special place in NM. A lot of past history but even more important is the preserving of its natural resources for future generations to experience.

Marla Foreman

Beautiful special area. Great walking/hiking.

Gus L'Esperance

Great place to take your girlfriend to "look at the stars".

Karla Howell

Very beautiful, but rained almost whole time

Ben Garcia

Nice place with nice views the better time to visit is in may and go around 8 to have permit to explore because they only give permission to 35 cars for day

Louie Di Mattina

Family fun loved it

Anne Brionez

Love this place!

Taylor Kuykendall

What a great place! We saw two herds of elk, prairie dogs, coyotes and tons of birds. We arrived early and got a back country permit to drive back into the preserve. It was incredibly beautiful, but passed are limited. I thought the road was in pretty good shape though expect some bumpy areas!

Mark Dunham

Great area out in the open. Lots of fallen trees in the burned slopes. Geology alone merits a visit, plus elk herds in forests, and prairie dogs at the visitor center.

Paul Frechette

Raw beauty meadows and plains, friendly park rangers, prairie dogs, and Elk.

Kenneth Troy Holtzclaw

This is absolutely a breath taking place to visit. There is a lot of amazing wild life here.

Karla Stoddard

Beautiful country, peaceful, majestic views

Melonie Dawes

This place is absolutely breath-taking

Pablo Diablo

Have been wanting to visit here for years and finally was able to come here last summer. I was not disappointed, this place is so beautiful! Friendly staff here will answer all your questions. Get the back-country pass and drive into the caldera....miles of amazing scenery....I went for a hike and didn't see another soul, it was so cool!

Holliday Ramblers

This place is very special and I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Kathryn Wilson

Beautiful scenery. The roads are rough especially after the recent rain. It was worth the drive for the vistas across the caldera. We saw blue birds and Hawks in just a short time. Would love to see it in the spring. Don't miss the Longmire cabin!

Joy Getha

The Valles Caldera has the awe inspiring "wow" quality scenery you expect at a National park. Did you know, this bowl of mountains is visible from space? When you visit, you can enjoy the scenery without paying for admission... just pull off the road. Bring binoculars to watch the elk herds from a safe distance. If you do go to the visitor center and pay the fee, that opens up the backcountry hiking trails and other activities i admit i haven't tried. It's well worth the time to get here and spend the day.

Thomas Sizemore

The study of this caldera led to the discovery of the caldera and hot spot under Yellowstone. With restricted numbers of people allowed, the hiking is excellent.

Mark Boyer

Beautiful! Small entrance station.

Adam Wunsch

Beautiful this time of year.

Ian L

Very interesting place with a charming atmosphere. A great place to go for some hiking, biking, or fishing in a quiet, peaceful setting.

Marc Machon

Breathtaking. Amazing. A wonderful preserve

Meg Flanery

Go here!! The place is absolutely spectacular!!! You can’t miss the way this place and it’s history puts the enormity of the universe and earth’s history into some kind of perspective. And the zillion prairie dogs are the coolest!!!!

EGU

NPS doing what it does. Great staff, great scenery, well preserved and maintained. Beautiful!

Jeff Steinbock

So much to see, so many trails

Gwen Sund

This is one of my favorite spots in New Mexico. It is beautiful year round and the sound of the wind in the grass and trees is wonderful. New Mexico is such a desert state that it amazes me each time I go there and find a prairie. This is definitely a place to go if you want to do some landscape photography. There aren't many trails, but the grassland is open for wandering. And since it's high elevation it doesn't get as hot as the rest of the state. Well worth the visit. Plus if you like the show Longmire his house is in the Valle Caldera and the park rangers will sometimes drive you there. Just one other cool thing.

Shelton Bruce

If you are up in the area, stop and see some magnificent views. Definitely a place where you have to get out and walk to get the full experience, so make sure to being good walking shows. Small ranger stations and not a lot of facilities, so expect that.

Julian Orozoc

An amazing scenery created by higher powers than ourselves and it's well protected to preserve such beauty and nature.

Vanessa Johnson

Gorgeous views and kind knowledgeable rangers at the check in station. :)

Wendy Clayton

Dont miss this one, and they've suspended fees this summer so no reason not to go!

sigmund rodrigues

OMG I loved this place happened to see lots of beautiful creatures.

Kimberly McMichael

Beautiful place to Cross Country Ski or snowshoe in the winter and beautiful hiking and camping in the summer.

Jeff Mapes

Wonderfully beautiful place to visit! Highly suggest driving to the north side to take in the sights and do some hiking. Very remote and a lot of history. Make sure to purchase a park map at the guard house upon your arrival. Loved it!

john knight

Unparalleled

Don Williams

Great rangers with great info. Beautiful area - very interesting geology.

Patti Stroh

Beautiful scenary saw two large herds of elk the fly fishing wasn't good but the road was out and couldn't get to some of the better spots

Brittany Martinez

Awesome place to camp and have fun

david emigh

I was born and raised on the edge of this volcano. One of the best features of New Mexico is if you don't like the view here, drive 15 miles for something completely different. You can spend a lifetime in the caldera and still not seen it all.

John Sullivan

I cannot say how amazing being in the middle of a giant caldera is. The drive is one of those you should do in this life.

Mark Harris

An awesome place. The NPS staff are very helpful.

SGT. KnightCast

I have always loved nature, and try to get out every single chance I get. This place is really quite nice when you need to get away from it all. They had a poop house for you to go poop in. Unfortunately, there is a tap for water but they do not let anybody use it. If you have a really good quality purifier you can go down to the stream and extract some water. Other than that there was plenty of room to run around. A great area to go horseback riding. There is a nice little stream that passes by the camps. There are firefighters that go out there and hand out Smokey the Bear pins if you have children with you. Overall, it is a pretty good experience and I would definitely recommend anybody to go check it out for themselves.

Alan Machek

Was definitely a site to see and the hike was phenomenal. Just the utter and shear beauty of this place is incredible to say the least. My sister and I loved it all the way around! HIGHLY recommend, if you're in the area, that you check this place out, you definitely won't regret it! Loved seeing the elk and the little prairie dogs as a nice bonus.

Suhaila Sikand

Loved it, wish we could've spent more time there to explore! Right now they aren't taking entrance fees because they believe their facilities aren't on par with other parks. Until they have the signage, running water, and other improvements, seems like they will keep this policy in effect

Zeke Chavez

A unique part of New Mexico. So beautiful and raw. This is not a developed national park. This National Preserve makes you feel like you are stepping back in time. We only saw a fraction of the preserve but we are eager to return and spend more time to see the rest.

shrashti singhal

Amazing beauty. A landscape worth visiting once. We vouks see ELKs through telescope. Even if you dont want to trek, the drive till here and afterwards is beautiful.

Daniel Gwilt

Great place to get away from everything.

William Barry Southerland

Wonderful place to visit and observe habitat in a Caldera. Enjoyed seeing Longmire's Cabin.

Mike Courtright

Breathtaking views and wildlife

Donald Dinkins

What a great place to hike today I hiked a trail called coyote call 3 1/2 Mile loop I seen elk and coyote lot of wildflowers

Jorge Lugo

Beautiful scenery and friendly park employees

Ryan Nettles

Brand New National Park. We arrived just before park closed, so did not get to explore. Interesting geologic features and history. Will return to explore. Visitor center is makeshift as of now. Higher rating when more permanent structure added, entrance road paved.

Kristy Alton

Gorgeous scenery and an abundance e of wildlife.

Scott Cusack

I spent a little over an hour walking around the island near the visitor's center. In that small walk we saw elk, prarie dogs, birds, and a coyote. I left wishing I had brought backpacking gear and a fishing pole. I want to return to explore the back country area of this amazing geological feature.

Sharon Sandberg

Nature at its finest. Plenty of recreational opportunities and easily accessed, even in the winter.

David Newcombe

Tried to see Sheriff Longmire's cabin, but to much snow. Beautiful place.

Sharon Huskey

Absolutely amazing. Elk and deer in abundance. Amazing views

Sonja French

Govt reopens and so does the Caldera! Beautiful and even better when there's no charge!!

Maninder Chopra

Absolutely stunning.

Ivan Craft

Beautiful for hiking and just passing.

Pauline Wood

A really cool place yo visit

Bruce Calkins

Very nice volunteer and Ranger staff. Fascinating place and just an hour or so from Los Alamos, NM.

Andrew Valencia

Great hiking and camping

Livio Azzoni

This place is insanely beautiful... a dreamy alpine valley in the crater of a volcano.

Imagination Is Creation

I admire the Caldera. It is full of its own unique beauty. A great place to hike and walk around, too!

Blanca Alas

One of the famous natural placea to go to and about an hour an 20 mins drive from the city. And you will go by many scenic places the Jemez area has to offer too.

Joe Carolan

Beautiful area. Just like being in Montana or Yellowstone Park.

James DuMont

Incredible beauty within 30-90 mins of Abq & Santa Fe, respectively. Lots of great hikes, wide open views and solitude.

Shane Clark

Such a great national park, solitude at its finest

Clifford F

It is honestly a bit disappointing. The best part was the views on the drive in. There are a limited number of people who get to drive through the park but you better get there early for a permit. There were also fire restrictions so we weren't able to do much more than take the short walk around the small butte near the visitor center.

Gregory McLenithan

We been there numerous times but with the forest fires in the years past we were unable to drive all the way back so this trip was our first time we were able to drive all the way back and it was beautiful and quiet. It puts your mind in great place.

Olga and Andrei Belooussov

Great place to hike and bike. The place is not crowded, perfect for those who prefer hiking without crowds. The stuff is very, very friendly, and if you come off season, when they are less busy, you can get all kinds of information, and maybe even a free tour :)

Paul Jutte

Beautiful area. Very diverse eco system with abundant plant and animal life. It’s a shame they let hinting occur within the park. That’s why four stars. Beyond that, this place is an amazing must visit. Come early and register your vehicle to drive through the caldera itself and experience it all. Even saw a bear and cub! Beautiful must see on your trip to northern NM!

Gerard Sullivan

Fabulous. Get a pass at the ranger station and drive into this 89000 acre wilderness. Loads of wild life, such as elk and coyotes. The original cabins from the ranch are still scattered about the property, hitching rails and all. Bring binoculars and a good camera.

Andrea Geyer

Beautiful scenery and wonderful to see so many animals! Very helpful and friendly staff. It was definitely worth the visit!

Amy Rush

This place is amazing and beautiful. If you go on an adventure around here remember there is no cell service.

Greg Sund

Large property that is very beautiful. Located in an alpine forest that was truly a surprise the first time I saw it.

Marlene Hahn

Beautiful natural area. We were there many years ago. Our guide was a young woman who was very knowledgeable and very passionate about preserving this beautiful place. Before we were finished with the tour I understood her enthusiasm.

First Last

Yellowstone, but without the crowds. Inwosh they had made it clearer that they won't even let you in the park with a dog. Most places still allow them in main areas. Very minimal services with just a small basic visitor center, but that's half of what makes it great. no campgrounds only 35 permits to explore the park a day.

Karl Weir

Amazing views, just don't bring a dog otherwise you can't go past the visitor station.

Autumn

An unexpected joyful experience. Unfortunately, due to wild fires, our visit was limited, but the prairie dogs made it amazing.

Joe Martinez

We love it.

Chris Luchini

It's a massive nature preserve what more there's there to say

Deirdre Van Amberg

Every time I visit I'm wowed by its quiet beauty.

Griselda Arguello

Reality good place to walk.

Jack Torres

Beautiful location. Office/gift shop somewhat disappointing. Elk viewing today well worth the drive.

Tom Petersen

Cool place made cooler because Sheriff Longmire lived there. They offer tours in an electric powered van to log cabin used for the show and the park rangers provide geologic facts, and a history of significant natural and human events at the site.

David Wright

Cool to be walking around in a volcano. Nice hike, helpful rangers

Nicole Albrecht

Such a wonderful place to explore. The Park Rangers are so sweet and knowledgeable! Great family outdoor activity.

Bryce Carpenter

I just did a walk around the largest Valle. It is very nice. There is obsidian lying around from the volcanic activity and we saw a number of birds, dozens of prairie dogs and a coyote. The views are incredible. High desert prairie and forest. Mountains rising up out of the Caldera that is already at 8000 feet.

Rae Lynn Herbster

This place never gets old. One of these days we will get there early enough to get passes to see "the back county." But this is mother nature at her finest. The main tourist area is about three miles out of the nearly 14 mile wide caldera. Lots of wildlife calls this place home. And, you are literally in the middle of 360 degrees of beauty all around you. Highly recommend!

Kathy Smith

It was a wonderful experience visiting the Caldera. We saw the hundreds of elk out in the valley and then received pointers and lots of info from Ranger Kimberly. Topped it off by visiting "Longmire's cabin" on the way back to the history grove. Looking out over the Calder is breathtaking!!

Steve Hemphill

Amazing place, but needs RV campspots!

Ann Trout

Really an awesome panorama. I used to sneak in to hike and cross-country ski here as a kid, and so glad it is a Preserve now. I never realized it was used as a film set until I nearly dropped the popcorn watching Longmire (it's his "front yard"). Hiking trails and car tours, with a quaint visitors center.

John Urban

Magical terrain, wonderment of Earth and Sky, plus one of the greatest elk nurseries in North America

Raquel me

Impressive caldera. Must see.

Fred Toman

It was kinda neat. They only allow 35 cars in at a time to drive. You can hike. But the road was 12 miles one way and 11 another. We were able to see where they filmed Walt Longmire's cabin. If your a fan of Longmire. We did see a coyote eating something. We saw prairie dogs. Be bit careful of that gravel road. There are some sharp rocks. And. It was probably just my luck, but one of the sharp rocks put a hole in my tire. I was able to change the spare out at the gate. It wouldnt stop me from going there again. Just make sure you have a spare. After you leave Make sure to Check your tires before you hit the pavement again.

Larry Wyant

Great looking place.

Cameron Romero

It's a nice place but the fishing was not that good and it's a long drive.

Bob Geary

Incredible natural beauty in all directions. A must see if you ever visit the 'Land of Enchantment'.

shawndel s

Some of the most picturesque scenery you could ever imagine.

Trevor Dunham

It's a beautiful vision. If you catch it with a herd of Elk. Even more beautiful.

Seth Daly

Great fishery and gorgeous scenery. We got to see a badger after a morning of great brown trout!

James Fattic

Nice Geology lesson and when weather cooperates several near hikes.

Joseph Larsen

Great place to visit

John Wilkes

A must see... Rare verdant high altitude valley

Orions B3LT

This was an EPIC trip that left me wanting to fill me tank pack my ⛺ tent and get back there as fast as possible ... Beautiful drive with elevations over 10k and unbelievable Meadows ... Definitely one of New Mexico's diamonds in the rough

Jesse B

We were pretty disappointed with our hiking here. There wasn't much to see. We'd heard they were a lot of animals but maybe we were there at the wrong time or the wrong season. Bandolier was so much more impressive.

A Andrews

Was so peaceful and beautiful out here. We didn’t realize when we first pasted the preserve that you could drive down and hike. We came back around and pulled in and it’s amazing! Wish it wasn’t so cold when we decided to stop through. The gift shop and station in the valley is a great place for a panoramic photo. We even saw a prairie dog hanging out close to where we parked. The shop has lots of artifacts and maps about the area. Good place to stop on your way sightseeing on this side of the mountain.

Tiffany O

Free admission (for now), fantastic photography, hiking & mountain-biking destination. According to local lore + crypto enthusiasts, the Valles Caldera is the 2nd Sasquatch-iest place in North America, after the Pacific Northwest.

James Bandy

Stopped off to watch the calving elk at the Valles Caldera, NM and got lucky to find one very near the highway. Mom elk was nowhere in sight. This video was shot at about 250 yards but I walked up closer to get the stills. It instinctively froze when it sensed me so I couldn't get it moving up close on video. One of the coolest experiences of my outdoor life. Great place to visit this time of year (late May - early June).

Jeff Welch

Beautiful valley. Immense. Breathtaking. I drove to the visitor center, and ran the 1.5 mile trail around the hill with trees. Lots of prairie dogs. Park rangers were friendly.

Josh Wayland

Beautiful preserve with amazing views. Pictures don't really do it justice. Very helpful park guides at the visitor center. You can spend 2 or 3 hours driving through the park taking in the views, not to mention the miles and miles of hiking trails. You'll be glad you saw it.

John Park

The awe inspiring realization of how powerful nature is. Being there made me think about how much this country as well as the rest of the world has changed through the millenniums. The park rangers were pleasant and informative.

Andrew Scardino

Wonderful and peaceful hiking area!

Mikhaïl T

Prairie Dogs everywhereeeee!!

Donald T

Great views and fun to visit

Bonnie Gibons

The beauty is stunning!

Veronica Vering

Perfect spot for an adventure!!

Earl Houndstooth

Huge! Looks so deceiving, like you could walk across in an hour, til you realize you didn't even spot a herd of 100 elk in the valley.

Adrienne Rivera

Love stopping by here on the way to Los Alamos, to see the Elk.

Raymond Scott

Fun day in the mountains.

GUS M

Worth the drive. Amazing and peaceful views for miles.

Pat Thompson

Beautiful place, amazing!!

Gabriel Roybal

Great place to go for a nature walk and to go see animal life!!!

High Priestess of Weird

Beautiful, loved the prairie dogs, too!

Tom Gutierrez

Absolutely beautiful! Make sure to go to the visitor's center and ask one of the rangers about the history. Fascinating stuff!

Michael Jenn

Talk to the ranger - they do a great job of putting things into perspective.

Carol Fifer

Quite spectacular It is the caldera from an ancient volcano and spreads across 14 miles. It is a vast plane of grasses which herds of elk use as a refuge. No hunting allowed. It's quite impressive to crest a mountain and see such an expanse of golden grasses. You can visit the monument, which we didn't do, but there are numerous sites along the road where you can stop to view or photograph.

Dee Nevel

This is way off the main road on a miles long dirt road into the back country. See that stream? It is deep and cold and loaded with some pretty big fish. #onlocation #filming #adventure #outdoors #nature #landscape #fotografia #hiking #camping #travel #fishing #naturelovers #naturephotogra

Jo Luepke

National Park/Preserve. Stunning day trip to see a caldera.

Jenifer McIntosh

Beautiful! Peaceful, staff very friendly

Boom

Beautiful place to visit! Check out the Longmire cabin if you're a fan. Go to the visitor center to get the low down.

Susan Donovan

A place to soak up all of the beauty of this planet!! Go and hang out a while!! You'll be better for it!!

John C

Beautiful Prarie land. The walking tour is very nice. It's not very far maybe a mile. Kid friendly. Lots of prarie dogs. The guided tour gave a lot of information about the area.

Ingo Tews

We regularly come to Valles Caldera. It is one of the most beautiful and serene places in Northern New Mexico and we love it. You should go and explore it...

Karin Ward

Spectacular! The view is phenomenal

Paul Barreras

Beautiful place to visit

John Valdez

don't agree with name..., unless you understand the meaning..., it's located in the Valle Grande, a great view

Robert Wheat

This is a beautiful place and in my opinion one not to miss. The Park Service staff were very friendly and informative. We thoroughly enjoyed the drive through the preserve and the wildlife that abounds. I highly recommend a visit. If you take the drive be prepared for the road to be a little rough in some locations. It does not require a 4-wheel drive but you need to be careful in a low profile vehicle.

Chandler Apple

Absolutely the most scenic place in all of New Mexico. I highly recommend you arrive as close to 8:00 am as possible to get one of 35 daily passes to drive into the caldera. The road in is unpaved but mostly very flat. A four door sedan with decent clearance can get through most of the gravel roads with little or no issue. The entire 12 miles of driving road is scenic. Tons of hiking and fishing, but no camping. The staff are super nice and very helpful, also. I can't stress enough how incredible this preserve is. Everybody should go here at least once.

Rick Reed

This is the setting of fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming, where Walt Longmire keeps law and order. It is every bit as beautiful as it appears in the television series

Leanne Arvila

Amazing place, a must see in the area. Most people are amazed at such a huge meadow and more amazed that it's a volcanic crater. Some days you can see elk grazing and other wildlife. Supposed to be great fly fishing

Vincent Catbagan

Stunningly Beautiful and to think about that it's the mouth of the volcano.

Tony Iadevaia

Saw elk, antelope, mother bear with cub, great scenery and hundreds of prairie dogs.

Aubrey Brown

Amazing little spring!

Jeanne Wright

BEAUTIFUL BEYOND WORDS!!!

Sharon Lucas

Over a million years ago a giant volcanic eruption created the Valles Caldera. It is now a wild life preserve that is home to elk coyote, prairie dogs, black bears, eagles and more. It has excellent hiking, biking, photo ops and even flyfishing. This a beautiful and serene spot in New Mexico not far from Los Alamos.

Marilene Richardson

It was beautiful. The ranger was also really nice and took time to talk to us, show us a map and tell us how the area was formed.

Jenny Trentham

Friendly folks! :)

Kelly Dolejsi

One of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Jay Graham

Where do I start. This gem of a place is outside Los Alamos, NM. I had never heard of the Preserve until I went to the National Park Service Visitor Center In Los Alamos. I went and saw the Preserve. It is a small Visitor Center at the Preserve, but that did not mean that it was small on its scenic beauty or activities to do. I was so impressed with the staff who became friends as soon as we walked in the door. We took a tour by van with Ranger Owen Ellis who told us about the geologic history and impact that the park had over one million years ago, as well as recent human history and impact. If you live between New Mexico and as far away as Texas, the history of this Volcano has had a lasting impact on your lands and are very evident in the surrounding lands and Bandelier National Monument, which is the next door neighbor to this Preserve. Go visit both places and you will not be disappointed.

Veronique Vanhooren

We where lucky to see wildlife along the road.

Matt Longacre

Elk everywhere at dusk, it was a good experience. I was able to get within 100 feet of elk, just watch when driving, they do run across road in places.

Osiel Carizales

amazing views and landscape

Micro Mike

This is truly one of the jewels of New Mexico. Beautiful vistas and plenty of wildlife. I liked my visit very much and can't wait to return.

Tracey Benner

This was so cool to see and the beauty in this area isn't what we expected to see. Slow down and take the time to take in the history and beauty.

Billy Boone

Breathtaking views.