The Valles Caldera National Preserve is located in the Jemez Mountains. Inside the preserve is the Valles Caldera, the remains of the eruption of a super volcano that last erupted 1.25M years ago. It is one of the most thoroughly studied caldera complexes in the United States. The use of the caldera has a long history. It was first used by the early Native-Americans as determined by the discovery of Clovis spear points dating to 11,000 years ago. Spanish and later Mexican settlers as well as the Navajo and other tribes came to the caldera seasonally for grazing. It became part of the Baca Ranch in 1876 and it was obtained by the federal government through the Caldera Preservation Act of 2000. It is the home many animals as well as an elk herd of between 2,500 and 3,000 individuals.

It is a beautifully scenic location and has been the backdrop for many films. The last being the Longmire cabin location in the Longmire (TV series) in 2012-2017.

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