Valles Caldera National Preserve Switches to Winter Hours and Activities

Valles Caldera National Preserve's entrance sign showing park hours 9 AM - 5 PM with 3 inches of snow in the background.

NPS Photo (Kimberly DeVall)

Valles Caldera National Preserve is operating under winter hours and activities starting November 1, 2018. The Valle Grande entrance station will be open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas days.

Winter activities include hiking, mountain biking, equestrian riding, and East Fork fishing. Once the snows are deep enough, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are wonderful ways to explore the preserve. The Valle Grande Bookstore, managed by Los Amigos de Valles Caldera, will offer snowshoe rentals on site. Ranger-led van tours and guided hikes will be offered on weekends with dates and times posted on the preserve’s website calendar. The popular backcountry vehicle permits have been suspended for the winter season and will resume May 15, 2019, if road conditions allow.

Los Amigos regretfully announces that Christmas trees will not be available at Valles Caldera this holiday season. Over the last five years, Los Amigos volunteers helped thin forests on the preserve to help reduce fuel for forest fires. This activity, conducted in past years, provided freshly cut trees for the holidays. Peggy Gautier, Chairwoman for Los Amigos stated, “We would like to thank all of the people who drove to Valles Caldera to choose their Christmas trees. Their donations raised over $26,000 to support the work of Los Amigos on the preserve.”

All delayed openings and closures due to winter weather and road conditions will be posted as an alert on the preserve’s website, www.nps.gov/vall, on Twitter @VallesCaldera, on Facebook www.facebook.com/VallesCaldera/ and on the school closures section of KRQE, KOAT, and KOB news websites

For more information, contact Valles Caldera National Preserve at [phone].