Birding By Car Stop 4
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New Mexico
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Birding By Car Stop 4
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At the entrance station, we are surrounded by montane grasslands. Across the road is a small, forested lava dome called Cerro La Jara. If you're looking for a short hike with lots of wildlife watching opportunities, there's a wonderful 1.4-mile loop trail around the lava dome. In the summer, these grasslands explode with wildflowers of all types. In the winter, they get covered up by several feet of snow.<br /> <br /> Watch for these bird species at this location: <ul> <li><strong>Winter:</strong> Mountain bluebird</li> <li><strong>Spring:</strong> Barn swallow</li> <li><strong>Summer:</strong> American kestrel</li> <li><strong>Fall:</strong> American crow</li> </ul> <br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <p dir="ltr"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-56cc18b6-7fff-4426-43eb-999ae56f7e49">En la estación de entrada, nos rodean praderas montañosas. Al otro lado de la carretera hay un pequeño domo de lava boscoso llamado Cerro La Jara. Si busca una caminata corta con muchas oportunidades para observar la vida silvestre, hay un maravilloso sendero circular de 1.4 millas alrededor del domo de lava. En verano, estas praderas se llenan de flores silvestres de todo tipo. En invierno, quedan cubiertas por varios metros de nieve.</b></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-56cc18b6-7fff-4426-43eb-999ae56f7e49">Busque estas especies de aves en este lugar:</b></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-56cc18b6-7fff-4426-43eb-999ae56f7e49">• Invierno: Azulejo Claro</b></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-56cc18b6-7fff-4426-43eb-999ae56f7e49">• Primavera: Golondrina Común</b></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-56cc18b6-7fff-4426-43eb-999ae56f7e49">• Verano: Cernícalo Americano</b></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-56cc18b6-7fff-4426-43eb-999ae56f7e49">• Otoño: Cuervo Americano</b></em></p>

Cerro La Jara Stop 1
~0 min drive
<p>Welcome to the Cerro La Jara Trail in Valles Caldera National Preserve. This trail is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and will likely take 1 to 2 hours to complete. The elevation change is small – about 50 feet. Leashed pets are permitted on this trail, but please ensure that…
North East Fork
~5 min drive
Easy 1.14-mile walk with minimal elevation gain near North East Fork.
Alamo Spring
~7 min drive
Moderate 10.51-mile high desert trail to Alamo Spring with gentle elevation gain.
Cerro Pelado
~11 min drive
Moderate 3.79-mile summit hike with 780 ft gain and scenic ridgeline views.

Cerro La Jara Stop 2
~0 min drive
<p>As you walked, you probably noticed that you are walking in a large valley and there are rounded hills or mountains in the distance, behind you, and to your right. You are walking in a volcanic caldera – a depression formed during a volcanic eruption. This caldera was forme…
Bearhead Ridge
~10 min drive
Moderate 7-mile ridgeline hike with 1,342 ft elevation gain and panoramic views.
Pajarito Nordic
~11 min drive
Accessible high-altitude loop through Pajarito Plateau forests and meadows.

Cerro La Jara Stop 8
~0 min drive
Did you notice that prairie dogs make this area their home? They like to make chirping noises to warn each other of people in the area, so they are difficult to miss! What they are also doing is trying to make future trace fossils. A trace fossil is a record of life that isn’t…
Peralta Canyon
~10 min drive
Moderate 10.5-mile canyon hike with 1,710 ft elevation gain in the Sandias.
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~13 min drive
Moderate canyon hike with steady elevation gain and scenic desert views.