Cerro Grande is a 10,207-foot summit in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico on the rim of the Valles Caldera near State Road 4. From its height, it overlooks features such as Valle Grande and upper Frijoles Canyon. Once largely covered with coniferous forest, especially ponderosa pine and aspen, it also included a rincon, or meadow, near the summit slopes. The mountain can be reached by a short hike of about 2.3 miles each way with roughly 1,200 feet of elevation gain. Cerro Grande is especially significant for its connection to two major New Mexico wildfires, including the escaped prescribed burn that became the destructive Cerro Grande Fire in 2000 and the severe burning it suffered again in 2011.

Los Alamos, New Mexico · USA