Valles Caldera Ecology Hike: East Rim

This 7.5-mile, round-trip hike explores the overall ecology of the upper reaches of the Pajarito Plateau to the edge of the mountainous rim of the Caldera. On our way to Canada Bonita, we walk through an edge of the Cerro Grande fire into the Las Conchas fire path of June 2011. A primary driver of biodiversity in the Jemez Mountains, periodic fires have shaped the landscape for millennia. See the beginning of changes to the habitats and learn the importance of refuges and micro-habitats.