Volcanoes Day Use Area Audio Tour Stop 7

The view from stop 7 on the Volcanoes Day Use Area/

NPS Photo / Ben Holt

Quick Facts

Amenities

1 listed

Cellular Signal

You have now reached stop 7 of the Volcanoes Day Use Area audio tour. You have walked 1.28 miles or 2.06 kilometers.  

The West Mesa has experienced thousands of years of human activity, but did you know that this includes military impacts from World War II. During World War II, parts of the West Mesa were used as a training bombing range, where pilots would practice their targeting skills with a mix of dummy and live explosives. The nearby Kirtland Airforce Base served as the U.S.’s first bombardier school, teaching its students how to use the top secret Norden Bomb Site. Several large targets in the shape of ships and submarines were cut into the desert for those practice runs. 

Here, the trail splits. Take the path to the right to continue North around the east flank of Vulcan, the tallest volcano in the monument, and towards the historic Bond Corral which you will reach in 1.54 miles or 2.48 kilometers. You may also take the path to the left to return back to the parking lot in 0.82 miles or 1.32 kilometers. To continue the audio, follow the path to your right and you will soon reach Audio Tour Stop 8 in 0.13 miles or 0.21 kilometers.