Begin your visit to Capulin Volcano National Monument in the Visitor Center and Bookstore. Volcano Road leads to the top of Capulin Volcano and paved trails into the crater and around its rim provide access to the volcano and panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Ranger-led interpretive programs can provide you with a better understanding of Capulin volcano National Monument’s geology, ecology and history.
Capulin Volcano National Monument Visitor Center
In the Capulin Volcano National Monument Visitor Center, located at the base of Capulin Volcano, exhibits, a touch table and dioramas about the geology, natural history and human history of Capulin Volcano will orient you with the Park. In the Visitor Center’s auditorium Capulin Volcano, a 10-minute video presentation, details the story of Capulin’s eruption and the surrounding Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. The video presentation captures the area’s dramatic volcanic landscape and Capulin Volcano’s unique habitat, rich with life.
Outdoors at Capulin Volcano
Capulin Volcano National Monument provides endless opportunities for exploration and discovery. Adjacent to the Visitor Center, the Nature Trail is a paved, figure eight trail with informational boards that explore the plant life, geology and wildlife of Capulin Volcano National Monument. A short drive up Volcano Road leads to the top of Capulin Volcano. Take a closer look inside the crater and enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, including the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
Nature and Wildlife
While Capulin Volcano National Monument is primarily known for its volcanic geology, it is also teeming with plant and animal life. The grasslands of the Great Plains and the forests of the Rocky Mountains meet in Capulin, forming a unique ecotone that’s home to 73 bird species as well as a number of other animals. Watch for mule deer at both the base of Capulin Volcano and on its slopes. White elk, black bears, coyotes and mountain lions have also been known to roam the Park.
Shop the Bookstore
Be sure to stop by the Capulin Volcano National Monument Visitor Center’s Bookstore. Gifts and keepsakes related to the Capulin Volcano National Monument and New Mexico as well as educational materials and information on the surrounding region and other nearby National Park sites are available to purchase.
- Capulin Volcano National Monument is ADA compliant.
- Find out more about ranger-led interpretive programs and events held at Capulin Volcano National Monument throughout the year on the official Capulin Volcano National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) website.
- Brochures about Capulin Volcano National Monument and Northern New Mexico are available from the Visitor Center.