Access to this peak is tightly controlled, and generally is not granted by the controlling board of directors of the Valles Calderas National Preserve (VCNP). There are a number of reasons why they keep this peak off-limits, some of which I try to outline below, along with some history of the peak and of the region.

Redondo Peak - A Background

Redondo Peak is a huge hulk of a mountain located within the Valles Calderas National Preserve northwest of Santa Fe in the Jemez Mountains. The history of this mountain and of the land is quite unique, both geologically and historically. Geologically, Valles Calderas is a huge crater of an extinct volcano, while Redondo Peak is a 'resurgent' dome formed by an upthrust of magma after the volcanic caldera collapsed after its big ejections. One source I read stated the volcano had two massive eruptions of lava and ash 1.6 and 1.1 million years ago, and another significant explosion 50,000 years ago. Looking at a shaded relief map of New Mexico shows a distinct circular arrangement of the mountains and canyons emanating from the Valles Calderas, like spokes on a wheel. It is unmistakably an old, massive extinct volcano. Today the Valles Calderas is a wonderland of near-virginal meadows of grass surrounded by thick forested hills and mountains, topped by the massive hump of Redondo Peak.

History and Land Ownership

Historically, this land was known as the Baca Land Grant Location Number 1 until 2000. It was a Spanish land grant originally to Don Luis Maria Cabeza de Vaca that predated United States control of the region by about 30 years. This particular bit of land was not part of the original grant, but granted to Cabeza de Vaca's heirs and upheld by the surveyor-general of the territory of New Mexico once the region came into United States control. The original grants were close to the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, but a few outlying areas became parts of the grant and are known as floats. I know that there exists a float in Arizona northwest of Prescott. I can't really get much deeper than that because that's about the extent of my knowledge on this subject. According to a timeline on the Valles Calderas Preserve website (see note at the end of this paragraph), the Baca Location No. 1 changed hands a few times during the ensuing 160 years, with public interests sometimes going up against private interests, and those who would want the land preserved (e.g. as a National Monument or National Park) versus those who would want to open the land for mining, lumber and grazing. Add to that the sacredness of these peaks to the Jemez Indians and you have quite a tangled web of interests pushing and pulling for this one region. In 2000 the Baca Location Number 1 finally came under public control when it was purchased by the Federal Government, and renamed the Valles Calderas National Preserve. Although administered by the National Forest System, the preserve is very tightly controlled by the Valles Calderas Trust. Access onto the preserve is by permit only, and while these are easy to get, they only have a few openings and only in limited areas. I can empathize with their position: they are trying to manage this land without just throwing open the doors, and trying to make everyone - hikers, horseback riders, hunters, mountain bikers, land-use proponents - happy. The Valles Calderas National Preserve covers right about 89,000 acres in a rough square about 10-11 miles on a side. State Highway NM-4 wiggles in and out of its southern boundary with awesome views down into the Valle Grande, a magnificent meadow valley of grass ringed by the gentle rounded humps of the various hills and mountains. It is a spectacular land that compares in beauty and uniqueness to any National Park. In fact, it just may go that route many years down the line. We shall see. (Note: The Valles Calderas website can be found here. The page with the history of this piece of land seems to have been deleted.)