Caja del Rio is a volcanic plateau about 15 miles west of Santa Fe in northern New Mexico, covering roughly 84,000 acres of mostly public land within the Santa Fe National Forest. Shaped by basaltic eruptions between about 2.7 and 1.1 million years ago, it contains around 60 volcanic cones and lava flows and rises in places to 7,472 feet. Cliffs, escarpments, White Rock Canyon, and La Bajada give the plateau a dramatic form. The area also preserves an important travel corridor, including El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and the original Route 66 ascent, while supporting a high-desert landscape of woodland, grassland, and varied wildlife.