Capulin Volcano National Monument: This month's National Park Getaway

By Matt Tillson, Park Ranger, Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

Capulin Volcano
(Photo: en.wikipedia.org)

Rising above a dramatic landscape in northeastern New Mexico is Capulin Volcano—a unique place of mountains, plains, and sky. Born of fire and forces continually reshaping the earth’s surface, Capulin Volcano National Monument provides access to nature’s most awe-inspiring work.

An easy three-hour drive from Santa Fe, New Mexico; Amarillo, Texas; or Colorado Springs, Colorado; visitors will discover one of the nation’s best examples of a volcanic cinder cone and excellent views of the surrounding area. The monument hosts a variety of engaging activities and projects throughout the summer months.

Travel the two-mile paved Volcano Rim Road to enjoy picturesque views from the highest peak overlooking the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field, check out the view of the Rocky Mountains from the rim or descend into the crater vent, take flight with the hummingbird monitoring project, stop in at the visitor center to enjoy the exhibits and park video and explore the park store.

Capulin Volcano is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, park hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and visitors can drive to the top until 10 minutes before closing time. After Labor Day, the park operates from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Guests arriving after hours are welcome to walk or bike the Volcano Rim Road or hike the scenic Lava Flow and Boca trails with the chance of catching a glimpse of some of area wildlife like mule deer, pronghorn, or gray fox.

Read more here. 

Free webcast: Photographing America's National Parks

From National Parks Traveler

Mt. Rainier (Photo: NPS)

National park photography classes will take a big step forward in late August when Ian Shive, an award-winning photographer and author of The National Parks: Our American Landscape, conducts a live class over the Internet from Olympic and Mount Rainier national parks.

Hoh Rainforest,
Olympic National Park;
(Photo: NPS)

The show, Photographing America's National Parks, August 27-29, is being produced by CreativeLive, the world’s largest live online education network. CreativeLive will broadcast a live on-location shoot from Olympic National Park, a historic achievement that will provide access to places beloved by millions — all through the lens of one of the world’s most published photographers.

Shive, who will be live in Olympic National Park, with pretaped portions from Mount Rainier spliced into the show, will demonstrate his award-winning techniques during three days of shooting some of the most iconic locations in Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks. He will teach the key elements of professional outdoor photography, including: composition, shooting in challenging weather conditions, exposure settings for every environment, using filters to manage available light, scouting the perfect location and much more.

The classes will air August 27, 28, and 29 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. PDT

All of CreativeLive’s live online classes are free to watch and accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Additionally, during the live event, anyone can ask Shive a question directly via CreativeLive’s social classroom. His course, complete with 22 hours of video, is also available to purchase for on-demand access for $99.

For full details and to RSVP for the live event, please visit this site.