Flying into New Mexico

You have decided to vacation in New Mexico. You are going to fly into Albuquerque where you will meet John and his friends. They will show you around the state, starting with Santa Fe.

First you get a lovely view of the mountains in North Central New Mexico as you fly over the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez and Sandia Mountains. Here you look out your window and see Los Alamos perched at 7500 feet atop finger-like mesas. About 15 miles to west of Los Alamos is Valle Grande - the large field on the left of the picture, a 15 mile diameter Valles Caldera. This is the remains of a volcano that erupted 1.4 million years ago, forming the surrounding mountains before collapsing into the valley that it is now.

Map of Santa Fe Area