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Capulin Volcano National Monument from the air, photo by L. If you’re scared of heights, close your eyes. It didn’t take long and we were driving up a narrow two-lane road cut into the volcano with a precipitous drop-off and few guard-rails. We quickly signed and perused the visitor center while we waited our turn. We arrived at the Capulin Volcano National Monument shortly after noon and discovered that there was a waiting list for the drive up the side of the volcano to the parking lot at the rim. With more than 20 miles still to go, Sierra Grande, the largest of the Raton-Clayton volcanos loomed ahead. After passing through Clayton, NM, the landscape began to change dramatically, with buttes, mesas and small mountains dotting the surrounding terrain. The next day, we drove into New Mexico on Hwy 87/64. Wow! We just stumbled upon a major lesson in geology, plate tectonics, and volcanism! Next stop: Capulin Volcano National Monument to learn more. This was the result of massive lava flows that originated millions of years ago in the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. It was a lovely day-hike, but one thing we didn’t realize before is that this mesa is part of a much larger Mesa de Maya, which extends for 45 miles from Colorado through New Mexico and ending in Oklahoma. 100+ million year old dinosaur tracks found nearby Where Oklahoma meets Colorado and New Mexico Another 1.5 mile hike along the middle of the mesa top finally brought us to an obelisk, marking Oklahoma’s highest point at 4,973 feet above sea level. Then we had a steep half-mile climb and about a 700-foot elevation change to the top of the mesa. The first couple of miles skirted the north edge of the mesa. We had a perfect day (not too hot and scattered clouds) to hike the 4.2-mile High Point Trail (8.4 miles round trip). Trailhead for High Point Trail A wide trail skirts the north edge of the mesa It’s so flat on top of the mesa A granite obelisk marks the summit 700 feet above the surrounding prairieįrom the State Park, it was a 15-mile drive to the Black Mesa Preserve and the trailhead. It’s a good place to stop if you’re passing through. And, there was a very un-timid group of mule deer that visited our campsite each morning.
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There was a very friendly and informative park supervisor, Polly, who was all about protecting the Harvester Ants, Horned Lizards, snakes and interesting bird species that called this park home. There was a small store, run by the campground host Carla, who is a school teacher the rest of the year. It turned out to be a very nice stopover, not too expensive as state parks go ($14 for the tent sites), with water, showers, flush toilets and a dump station. On our way west through the Oklahoma Panhandle, we decided to stop at Black Mesa State Park and hike to the top of Black Mesa, the highest point in the State.