Capulin Volcano erupted approximately 60,000 years ago with firework-like "rooster tails" of glowing hot cinders that flew through the air. Lava that flowed from vents located at the volcano's flank covered almost 16 square miles. Although no longer a volcano in action, Capulin Volcano remains a dramatic testament to the volcanic processes that shaped northeastern New Mexico. Capulin Volcano National Monument was established in 1916 to preserve this striking example of a volcanic cinder cone.

Over 65,000 people visit a year. Twentyfive to thirty percent of annual visitation occurs in July. During the summer, weekday and/or early morning or late afternoon visits are encouraged to avoid peak crowds.

Carlsbad Cavern, with one of the world's largest underground chambers and countless formations, is highly accessible, with a variety of tours offered year-round.

Chaco Canyon was a major center of ancestral Puebloan culture between AD 850 and 1250. It was a hub of ceremony, trade, and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area - unlike anything before or since.

Chaco is remarkable for its monumental public and ceremonial buildings, and its distinctive architecture. To construct the buildings, along with the associated Chacoan roads, ramps, dams, and mounds, required a great deal of well organized and skillful planning, designing, resource gathering, and construction. The Chacoan people combined pre-planned architectural designs, astronomical alignments, geometry, landscaping, and engineering to create an ancient urban center of spectacular public architecture - one that still amazes and inspires us a thousand years later.

The Chacoan cultural sites are fragile and irreplaceable and represent a significant part of America's cultural heritage. The sites are part of the sacred homeland of Pueblo Indian peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi Indians of Arizona, and the Navajo Indians of the Southwest, all of whom continue to respect and honor them.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a very special place. Remote and isolated, it offers few amenities, so come prepared. You will find that the rewards are unlimited.