

You Can Walk INTO a Volcano?! Capulin Volcano National Monument
Ever wonder what it's like to walk into a volcano? This week the Two Chicks head to northeastern New Mexico to cover Capulin Volcano National Monument — one of the most perfectly symmetrical cinder cone volcanoes on Earth, and one of the only places in the world where you can actually hike down into the crater vent. In this episode we cover: 🌋 How Capulin formed — and why it "seeped" instead of exploding, spreading lava roughly 16 square miles in every direction 🚗 The 2-mile road that spirals to the summit (plus a brand-new 2026 update: it's now one-way for vehicles, but open for hiking and biking!) 🦴 George McJunkin — the self-taught cowboy who found bones that rewrote how long humans have lived in North America 🥾 The Crater Rim Trail and the short-but-steep Crater Vent Trail that takes you right down into the volcano 🌌 Why Capulin is also a certified Dark Sky Park 🇲🇽 Capulin's "sister" volcano in Mexico that looks almost identical — but erupted in 1943 instead of 54,000 years ago If you've ever driven Raton Pass and blown right past the sign, this episode is your sign to stop next time. 👍 Like, subscribe, and share with a fellow trail lover ☕ Buy us a coffee / grab our merch — links in our Bio 💬 Drop a comment: have you ever eaten too many pine nuts and lost your sense of taste?! Susan and Monica want to know. #CapulinVolcano #NewMexico #NationalMonument #HikingPodcast #TwoChicksWithHikingSticks #DarkSkyPark #NPS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


















