Looking southeast from the rim of Capulin Volcano toward Sierra Grande.
4 JUNE 2023 W5N/SG-009
| Elevation: | 8,182′ |
| Route: | Paved trail |
| Hike Distance: | 1 miles round trip |
| Elevation Gain: | 300′ |
| Navigation: | Easy |
| Steepness: | Gentle |
| Vehicle: | Passenger car |
| Road: | Paved |
| Cell Coverage: | Excellent (Verizon), excellent APRS |
Cassie KG6MZR and I spent the night in Raton after activating Maidenhead grid square DM86 or the north side of this volcano with a 100 watts digital station the day before. Heavy afternoon thundershowers made the decision to take shelter in a motel for the night seem pretty smart. Sunday dawned partially cloudy but it looked like the thundershowers would hold off until the afternoon again.
I’d never been in this part of New Mexico before. The border between the Rockies and the Great Plains makes for spectacular scenery. This hike is not a wilderness experience but is still highly recommended. There is a $20 per vehicle (4 people maximum) entrance fee for Capulin Volcano National Monument. The road to the volcano rim was down to one lane about half way up. I gather that they have been working on it from storm damage and it is sometimes completely closed, so call ahead to make sure it is open if you plan on driving up. There is no trail up from the base and cross country hiking is prohibited in the National Monument.
The paved loop trail around the the rim of the volcano is a very cool hike, but expect to be joined by many others. There are several benches in the activation zone to work from including one down the south side a bit if the summit is crowded. The rangers ask that you to stay on the paved path. I found an antenna could be rigged from there.
I kept my activation short but still managed two summit-to-summit contacts; one with SOTA pal David N6AN in Oregon and another with KT0A in South Dakota. I handed out a lot of my SOTA cards to interested hikers.
KG6MZS 
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