Jemez Mountain Trail

An airy open area will greet you inside the Visitor Center, where you can read about the Jemez Mountain Trail and more.

The pueblo architecture and bright mural on the outside of the Walatowa Visitor Center are seen in closeup.

Pueblo-style architecture is enhanced by a long shaded porch before the entrance to the Walatowa Visitor Center on the Jemez Mountain Trail.

Brightly-costumed dancers perform in the plaza before the outside mural at the Walatowa Visitor Center

This attractive sign of wood and stone beckons visitors to visit this visitor center on the Jemez Mountain Trail.

There is plenty of room for parking at the Walatowa Visitor Center.

A tour bus fits easily in the vast parking area in front of the Walatowa Visitor Center.

A tour bus parks near other vehicles in the vast parking area in front of the Walatowa Visitor Center.

A path winds past fence, parking and desert landscaping toward the Visitor Center.

The visitor center in the distance sits amid a desert landscape.

The pueblo porch provides welcome relief from the sun.

Redrock bluffs surround the Walatowa Visitor Center in this view from the south.

You can purchase gas near the Walatowa Visitor Center, as can be seen in this view. In the distance can be seen tall bluffs.

A brightly-colored outside mural peeks over the outer wall of the Walatowa Visitor Center.

Shadows cast coolness over the porch at the entrance to the Visitor Center near Jemez.

Tall narrow interpretive panels on a brightly carpeted floor will tell you all about the area.

Large pictures illustrate the Jemez Mountain Trail on this tall narrow panel inside the Walatowa Visitor Center.

A map and relief model show the terrain of the Byway inside the Walatowa Visitor Center.

This view shows most of the interior of the Walatowa Visitor Center.

The sun beats down on the Walatowa Visitor Center.

Colorful desert scenery in blues, reds, greens and purples surrounds the Walatowa Visitor Center.

Early light casts a small shadow on the Walatowa Visitor Center wall art.

A large rock formation on the mountain surrounded by trees resembles a battleship.

A dome shaped bread oven sits in the front yard of a small brick home.

Signs point the way to the Jemez State Monument, with a little Jemez Mountain Trail sign nearby.

Campers set up under green trees in the shadow of Battleship Rock.

Small leaves speckle the clouds and blue skies.

The Jemez Mountain Trail turns rustic on this gravel section near Fenton Lake State Park.

Well-signed intersections help travelers stay on the right path.

Participants at an outdoor workshop lounge on a grassy area.

You'll find plenty of parking space to begin your journey at Battleship Rock.

Taking photos of spring flowers keeps their beauty all year.

Trees line this dirt road to Cuba, an area known for its wildlife and views.

A Scenic Byway sign decorates the road to Cuba.

Fall colors highlight the Jemez Mountain Trail.

The Jemez Mountain Trail takes visitors from trees to red rocks.

Red soil, green foliage, and blue skies provide a variety of color on the New Mexico palette.

Red soil, green foliage, and blue skies provide a variety of color on the New Mexico palette.

The Jemez Mountain Trail leads to and through the town of Cuba, New Mexico past a prominent sign warning drivers about the terrain ahead.

Fall color blazes in the background of this photo of a marker for the Jemez State Monument at Soda Dam.

This road leads up to the Hot Springs at Soda Dam.

Soda Dam acts as a natural dam for the Jemez River.

A tour bus stops in Valle Grande.

Travelers use a shelter for some shade at Battleship Rock.

This informative plaque tells the travelers about the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

Blue sky fills this view, bordered by tall trees.

Trees pleasantly inhibit the view of Valle Grande.

A traveler stops by the roadside to get a better view of the magnificent Valle Grande.

It's not hard to see why this area is known as Valle Grande.

An island of trees breaks up the wide expanse of flat land in Valle Grande.

Just around the curve of this road lies the Valle Grande Grassbank.

A visitor watches the river from a fenced bridge off the Jemez Mountain Trail.

A large bus drives easily up the mountain on the Jemez Mountain Trail.

Byway and highway roadsigns point the way on Route 4.

Byway and highway roadsigns point the way on Route 4.

A closeup of the byway roadsign shows its mountain logo.

Byway and highway roadsigns point the way on Route 4. This shows the Jemez byway roadsign with a black background.

Byway and highway roadsigns point the way on Route 4. This shows the Jemez byway roadsign with a black background.

This shows the Jemez byway roadsign with a black background.

A roadsign tells us this is a New Mexico state byway, near the junction of 550-4 in San Ysidro.

A lone car drives past a redrock hill while shadows cross the road ahead.

The leading edge of Battleship Rock stands out against sky and trees.

Battleship Rock rears above the surrounding forest.

A visitor rests beneath the shadowed face of Battleship Rock.

The Jemez River flows through the forest near Battleship Rock.

The wayside has basic facilities for the comfort of the traveler.

This rock formation might remind onlookers of the figurehead at the prow of a ship.

The gentle orange plumes of Indian Paintbrush can be seen in season at Battleship Rock.

The Jemez River near the Valle Grande is green and wet in April.

A bus and several cars stand in the parking lot at the Battleship Rock Wayside.

The Jemez River offers this gentle waterfall as an additional sight for those taking a break at the Falls Wayside.

A driver plows through road shadows beneath a rounded redrock mountain.

Snow dusts this rounded mountain on the Jemez Mountain Trail.

Perch yourself on a boulder at Jemez Falls and enjoy the gentle sound of wind and water.

Created in the 1920s, two tunnels are visable from the roadside that once allowed access to logging trains.

A man points out the right direction for a construction worker in this detail from a group of life-size statues found in Albuquerque.

A statue of a mother and father chat while holding their child in this detail from a cluster of life-size statues in Albuquerque.

A Native American woman smiles and holds her daughter's hand in this detail from a group of life-size statues in Albuquerque.

A businesswoman strides purposefully through the crowd in this detail from a cluster of life-size statues in Albuquerque.

Cabezon Peak rises above the terrain along the Jemez Mountain Trail.

A visitor relaxes under the shade of a tree at the top of an overlook on the Jemez Mountain Trail in New Mexico.

The Guadalupe River rushes through the rocks of the Guadalupe River Gorge.

A panoramic view of the Sandia Mountains after a heavy snow storm.

The Jemez Mountain Trail merges these three elements of nature to provide an overall picture of beauty.