Valles Caldera Rim Trip Report Indios MESA

North Rim

Date: June 9, 2008 Purpose: check out for views along the periphery of the level mesa west of the canyon of the Rito de los Indios. On the topo, the walls look steep so there may be some views into the Valle Toledo area, perhaps into the rito or over onto Turkey Ridge and Indian Point. Participants: Dorothy Hoard, Yvonne Delamater, Ed Jacobson USGS Topo: Polvadera Peak Equipment: Garmin Global Positioning System Model GPS 12; digital camera Olympus Camedia C-3000; notebooks. Methodology: I had to get separate permission from Dennis Trujillo of the VNCP to go out on this mesa, which is not on the rim. We expected to find logging roads along the mesa rim to check out the views. Conclusions: In summary, This mesa was slaughtered by logging, the widest and densest road network we’ve seen yet. However, the perimeter had a fringe of forest that obscured most views. We went down into the canyon west of the rito that joins it near Valle Toledo. Pleasant and accessible, but not distinguished. Trip Report: I drove us in on Forest Road 144 from Española and parked at the bend at MP2. The rim of the Valles Caldera is just south of the VNCP fence and parallel to it. It goes over a small hill at the head of this mesa. We did not climb this hill along the rim. We climbed the fence and headed to the easternmost logging road. All roads we saw were very wide; two logging trucks could pass. There was logging debris piled in some places. The road we were on ran parallel to the rim with wide offshoot roads to the west across the level mesa.

Views were limited, deadfall spectacular.

Logging roads are wide and numerous; the dandelions were lovely.

We walked over to the edges of this mesa wherever it looked like there may be a clearing for a view. We encountered a lot of deadfall along the edges. All views along the east and south edges were very restricted. The south edge is more a slope than a rim.

A glimpse of Chicoma Mountain to the northeast. 1

North Rim

Logging debris piled about.

At the south west point of the mesa, a wide road descended into the canyon. Seeing no reason to proceed along the edge, we took this road down into the canyon. There were some restricted views over to the Hunters Point grassland but nothing of special interest. We could see a road that we presumed came down from the gate at the Forest Service viewpoint.

The road into the canyon between Indios Mesa and Hunters Point

Views of Toledo

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A view toward Hunters Point.

North Rim Not far up canyon from the stock pond is the boundary fence for the Baca location. The map showed a benchmark in the canyon. There was none, but Yvonne followed the fence up the east slope and found MP 1.5 in a tangle of deadfall and downed fence.

Benchmark with downed fence.

Views northwestward to Hunters Point were restricted.

Near the bottom of the canyon we came upon a herd of cattle with two very large bulls. The road formed a berm for a stock pond which was filled with water from a spring. Not wishing to tangle with the bulls, we waded around the top of the stock pond in the trees.

Benchmark: T21N R4E Section 35—BL1 1/2 M 1920.

We crossed over the fence onto the forest, found a nice grove and ate lunch. this is the canyon on the south side of Mora Pass. I wanted to see what the trail did, so we followed it up to the pass. We found the dendroglyph trail (Old Highline Trail) and followed it back up onto the mesa. On the mesa, we climbed the VCNP fence again to a wide logging road that went along the west edge of the mesa. As before, there were no views through the thick forest along this edge. We followed the road a bit, then turned east on one of several wide roads back to our first road and back to the CR-V.

Stock pond with scary cows.

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North Rim

As before, views to the southwest were restricted...

... and roads were big and wide...

It was a nice day; the dandelions were rampant and formed a golden carpet on the wide roads. Otherwise the walk was rather depressing. I would not recommend routing a rim trail that way. I suppose it could be a nice option for a walk with children. Informant: Dorothy Hoard.

... but the dandelions made it all worthwhile.

Indios Mesa, June 9, 2008. Rim = red; FR144 = purple; bright green = our route. Cerise line is 1966 boundary exchange. 4