Fenton Lake and Valles Caldera in Jemez, NM
by brandon on Aug 14, 2011
Ride Dates:
| Start Date: | Aug 14, 2011 |
| End Date: | Aug 14, 2011 |
Distance: 180 mi
Rode on:
"Suzuki SV650"
Rides for this Report:
Ride Report Discussion:
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Go to the discussion thread!
I woke up this morning and realized what a nice day it was, so I quickly decided I was going to take advantage of such nice weather and take my SV650 out for a ride. I mapped out a little ride that would take me from Albuquerque up to Jemez and let me see some of that area I haven't before. I also wanted to try out my new Shoei RF-1100 helmet and Crampbuster.
The first thing I did was go to Golden Pride and have a delicious green chile, sausage, egg and hashbrown breakfast burrito. I then headed for 550 and filled up with gas there. I noticed a screw was loose on my left control cluster and tightened it up.
By now, it was only about 8:15am and the traffic was basically non-existant. I made my way up 550 toward San Ysidro and then caught 4 to Jemez Springs. I got caught behind a few cars, but nothing major. I stopped at the Jemez Springs welcome center area to stretch my legs for a few minutes before heading up into the park.
After passing through Jemez Springs, the first thing you come across is the Soda Dam. This is a cool rock formation that water passes through. I just stopped for pictures and didn't go down and walk around it this time. It's cool to do though if you haven't before. The water has a slight scent of sulfur, but it's not too overwhelming.
From there I made my way past Battleship Rock and up toward Fenton Lake. There are some great twists and elevation changes once you get past Battleship Rock. Just keep an eye out for cars on the side of the road, as you never know if they're parked or just stopping to take pics and then they'll jump back in the lane.
Fenton Lake was pretty cool. It was a big lake that had people fishing and kayaking at it. I don't know if they allowed camping at the actual lake, but there were a bunch of campgrounds on the way toward the lake. I rode around some of the picnic trails near the lake and trail is the right word. There was no pavement and in some spots it looked more like a dirtbike trail than a road.
I got back on the road and headed toward Valles Caldera. Again, the road heading there is full of fun twisties and you get some great scenery along the way. The road to the caldera visitors center isn't paved, so keep that in mind again. I went partially there and then decided I'd just turn around. It's probably 3 miles or so of unpaved gravel road to get to the visitor center.
After stopping for some pics there, I decided it was time to start heading back. I got lucky and had the road to myself for a good 20 miles, so I could fully enjoy the scenery and fun of riding out there. I stopped again at the welcome center and this time took my bike over to some of the cool red rock formations and took some photos
On my way home I decided I was getting hungry, so I tried a new place that opened up by my house recently (Coyote Cantina). They had green chile gravy and meatloaf as a special, so I had to try it. It was good and the portions were huge. I ended up having enough to get a to-go box and brought some home. I fueled up and then came home.
All in all it was a great ride. It got chilly up in Jemez. Some of the higher elevations I rode up there were approaching 9k feet. The Crampbuster and new helmet worked wonderfully.
Some photos:
My breakfast burrito:
My SV650 at Soda Dam:
Fenton Lake:
Unpaved roads near Fenton Lake:
Valles Caldera:
Las Conchas burn scars (those aren't shadows on the mountain, that's burned forest):
Near Jemez welcome center:
Lunch at Coyote Cantina:
The first thing I did was go to Golden Pride and have a delicious green chile, sausage, egg and hashbrown breakfast burrito. I then headed for 550 and filled up with gas there. I noticed a screw was loose on my left control cluster and tightened it up.
By now, it was only about 8:15am and the traffic was basically non-existant. I made my way up 550 toward San Ysidro and then caught 4 to Jemez Springs. I got caught behind a few cars, but nothing major. I stopped at the Jemez Springs welcome center area to stretch my legs for a few minutes before heading up into the park.
After passing through Jemez Springs, the first thing you come across is the Soda Dam. This is a cool rock formation that water passes through. I just stopped for pictures and didn't go down and walk around it this time. It's cool to do though if you haven't before. The water has a slight scent of sulfur, but it's not too overwhelming.
From there I made my way past Battleship Rock and up toward Fenton Lake. There are some great twists and elevation changes once you get past Battleship Rock. Just keep an eye out for cars on the side of the road, as you never know if they're parked or just stopping to take pics and then they'll jump back in the lane.
Fenton Lake was pretty cool. It was a big lake that had people fishing and kayaking at it. I don't know if they allowed camping at the actual lake, but there were a bunch of campgrounds on the way toward the lake. I rode around some of the picnic trails near the lake and trail is the right word. There was no pavement and in some spots it looked more like a dirtbike trail than a road.
I got back on the road and headed toward Valles Caldera. Again, the road heading there is full of fun twisties and you get some great scenery along the way. The road to the caldera visitors center isn't paved, so keep that in mind again. I went partially there and then decided I'd just turn around. It's probably 3 miles or so of unpaved gravel road to get to the visitor center.
After stopping for some pics there, I decided it was time to start heading back. I got lucky and had the road to myself for a good 20 miles, so I could fully enjoy the scenery and fun of riding out there. I stopped again at the welcome center and this time took my bike over to some of the cool red rock formations and took some photos
On my way home I decided I was getting hungry, so I tried a new place that opened up by my house recently (Coyote Cantina). They had green chile gravy and meatloaf as a special, so I had to try it. It was good and the portions were huge. I ended up having enough to get a to-go box and brought some home. I fueled up and then came home.
All in all it was a great ride. It got chilly up in Jemez. Some of the higher elevations I rode up there were approaching 9k feet. The Crampbuster and new helmet worked wonderfully.
Some photos:
My breakfast burrito:
My SV650 at Soda Dam:
Fenton Lake:
Unpaved roads near Fenton Lake:
Valles Caldera:
Las Conchas burn scars (those aren't shadows on the mountain, that's burned forest):
Near Jemez welcome center:
Lunch at Coyote Cantina:
on May 19, 2012
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