NPS
The Valles Caldera education team is excited to welcome you and your students to the park for a field trip! Depending on staff availability, we offer ranger-led and self-guided options. To schedule a field trip, please fill out the request form at the bottom of this webpage at least 30 days in advance of your preferred program date(s). Learn more about our ranger-led program offerings in the menu below. Ranger-led Program Offerings These are our established, ranger-led education program offerings. In most cases, we can customize and adapt these programs based on each group's objectives. Contact us for more information.
Grade Levels: Grades 4-6 Location: Cerro La Jara Description: Through educational dialogue, interactive activities, and captivating landscapes, students will delve into the world of types of volcanoes including calderas, and the incredible wildlife that thrives within Valles Caldera National Preserve. With the natural landscape as their classroom and the use of nature journals to guide them through new knowledge, students will be able to gain a profound understanding of the distinctive elements that make up Valles Caldera, from natural history, geology, and biology. Through a matching card game and a presentation of animal pelts, students will be able to accurately identify local wildlife, their characteristics and adaptations. Grade Levels: Grades 9-12 (High School)
Location: Cerro La Jara or South Mountain Description: The arrival of Asha, a Mexican gray wolf, at Valles Caldera in 2023 marked the temporary return of wolves to the Preserve. During this program, students will learn about the animals that were once part of the ecosystem in the Jemez Mountains including Mexican wolves, grizzly bears, and beavers. During a walk around Cerro La Jara or on the South Mountain Trail, students will find out about the U.S. government's predator eradication program, read and discuss primary sources related to this history, and find out why these animals were key parts of the ecosystem. Grade Level: Grades 4-6 Description: Students will learn and explore Valles Caldera National Preserve through multiple scientific and artistic disciplines. Students will engage through group discussion, interactive individual and group activities, and self-reflection. Through an à la carte menu, teachers can select single to multiple lessons from biology, geology, or human history. Grade Level: Grades 7-8 (Middle School) and 9-12 (High School)
Location: Valle Grande and History Grove Description: Students will learn about the natural fire ecology at Valles Caldera and in the Jemez Mountains. They will then discover what went wrong in the 1900s and 2000s to produce megafires like Las Conchas, Cerro Grande, Thompson Ridge, and Cerro Pelado. The program will include a visit to History Grove, an old-growth ponderosa pine forest, to demonstrate causes of natural fires, fire-adaptations in in ponderosa pine trees, and landscape resilience. Learn the basics of photography and compositional rules using a Polaroid instant film camera, then while taking a short hike learn about the natural history and geology of Valles Caldera. A camera and film will be provided, but exposures will be limited to 2 per student. Program is by request only, 6th grade or higher.
Field Trip ChecklistOnce your field trip is confirmed, the next step is to prepare your class for their Valles Caldera adventure. Our team is dedicated to providing an engaging and educational experience during your visit. To ensure each student is ready for their field trip, please review our suggested checklist and important information below. Student Checklist
Important Information
Field Trip Request FormNPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021) OMB Control No. 1024-0228 NoticesPrivacy Act StatementAuthority: Public Law 114-289 National Park Service Centennial Act and 54 U.S.C. 100701 Protection, interpretation, and research in System. Purpose: To administer education programs for education audiences including but not limited to school groups, scouting groups, extracurricular groups, and home school groups. Routine Uses: To effectively manage requests for education received by the NPS, the Education Reservation Request Form is used to collect basic education reservation information to facilitate operational aspects of scheduling groups for park education programs, including in-park education programs, ranger in classroom programs, and/or online distance learning programs. Disclosure: Voluntary, however, failure to provide the requested information may impede the ability to grant your education reservation request. Paperwork Reduction Act StatementWe are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to provide park managers and educators the information needed to schedule and conduct education program activities. All applicable parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. You are not required to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned control number 1024-0288. Estimated Burden StatementPublic reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Do not send your completed form to this address. |
Last updated: January 31, 2025