From Clayton Lake State Park we followed US87 west to Raton, New Mexico. From there we headed north on I-25 one exit to NM 72. Once we were off the interstate, it was 5 miles to Sugarite Canyon State Park. We stopped at Lake Alice Campground, but it was rather small and tight for Sol. We unhooked the car and drove three miles to Soda Pocket Campground. Of course, the last 2 miles were on hard packed gravel going UP the mountain. To our great surprise, the campground was perfect! The sites were large AND they were great for solar! So, it was back down the mountain to get Sol and make the trip up. I drove the car up and picked a campsite, Bob followed in Sol. I picked site 12 overlooking the canyon. This is the first campsite we have had that had its own bear locker...to keep food safe from bears.
We had great views in all directions.....east....
...and south.
Sugarite Canyon is known for its great hikes and fishing. The area was also home to coal mining from the early 1900s until 1966 when the state purchased the land. Some of the hikes take you to 2 of the 3 old mines in the area. Remains of the small town (1200 population at its peak) can also be seen on the hikes.
After getting settled, Bob and I went down to the visitor center to get information on hiking. The center was small, but packed with historical information about the area and the people who worked the coal mines.
Bob is standing next to a casting of a T-Rex track that was found near Sugarite Canyon.
After looking at all the possibilities, we chose the coal mine trail as the first trail we would hike the following day.
Back at the campsite, we found that the deer like to graze in the campground at night. Campers don't seem to bother them.
Bright and early the next morning we drove down to the visitor center to park at Coal Camp Trailhead. The trail started behind the visitor center and climbed the mountain to Mine 2 and Mine 3. This is a view of the valley looking toward the road to Raton.
Near the top of the trail we found the old reels for the cable which took the loaded coal cars down the mountain as the empties came up.
Behind me is the remains of the dynamite house.
The entrance to Mine 2 caved in after it was no longer in use.
The entrance to Mine 3 also cave in, but researchers have not been able to find its location.
After our hike we went into Raton to pick up a few groceries and to stop at Colfax Ale Center to try their brews. We enjoyed looking around the pub as there were drawings from the movie set of 'Lonesome Dove' which was filmed in the area.
The following day we hiked River Trail and the trail from the visitor center to Lake Alice. We crossed 2 bridges on this trail.
The trail followed the base of the mountain, then the shore of the lake. As you can see from the sky, it was a gorgeous day for hiking!
Back at our campsite, we made plans to backtrack to Capulin Volcano National Monument for our next adventure. The monument is located just off US 87 about 25 miles east of Raton. Instead of driving US 87, we found a back road with a few geocaches that would give us a scenic route.
The road to the parking area near the rim of the volcano was a bit scary, but not the worst road we have traveled.
The views from the top were spectacular.
The rim trail was steep, as we expected.
We took our time walking the trail as there was quite a bit of elevation change along the rim.
I found this fellow sunning himself. The are below him is where the cattle drive 'Lonesome Dove' was based on actually wintered.
As we neared the end of the rim trail, it became much steeper!
After our rim hike, we went down to the crater and then back to the car. Near the visitor center we caught the Lava Field trail. Rocky Mountain Youth Corps was working on the trail. We talked to several of the workers and found that one was from Mayport, Florida.
We weren't ready to head back to the park so we drove to Raton looking for a place to eat lunch---nothing but fast food restaurants. We wanted to eat local, so we drove to Trinidad, Colorado, and ate in a good Mexican restaurant!
The following day we drove to along US 64 W to see how the road was through the mountains.Other than a few places with road construction, the road wasn't too bad. Sol could easily handle it. As we drove, we passed Whittingdon Center which is an NRA area with camping, lodging, museum, and ranges.
We stopped to see the Palisades Sill.
The river did a magnificent job of carving the rock.
On our return trip, we stopped in Cimmaron at blu Dragonfly BBQ and Brewing. They had good food and good brew!
Then it was time to get back to Sol and ready for our trip to Eagle Nest Lake State Park in none other than Eagle Nest, New Mexico.
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