Cabin District News Today

The vast expanse that made up Valles Caldera National Preserve was on privately owned land for more than a century until the federal government made it a preserve in 2000. Even then, public access is still limited and there are plans to change that in the future.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve is indeed a wonder of nature — so much so that it should not become one of the most-visited parks in the United States. Sometimes,

Building a new visitor center, rerouting entrance road and burying power lines are among plans for a rare jewel.

Valles Caldera is a mountainous, forested landscape broken by sweeps of grasslands and which in places rises more than 11,000 feet in northern New Mexico. It is also, figuratively, a not quite 90,000-acre blank canvas upon which the National Park Service is working to create what it envisions will be a masterpiece.