COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

The staff at Mesa Public Library is pleased to present Hiking Trails in Valles Caldera National Preserve, a virtual author talk with Coco Rae. This program will livestream via Zoom on Thursday, April 14 from 7 to 8pm. For those who have been waiting for spring to arrive before digging their hiking boots out, this timely program will serve as an excellent start for planning the season’s outdoor adventures.

This updated and expanded edition of Hiking Trails in Valles Caldera National Preserve includes everything visitors need to know to enjoy this vast caldera, one of the largest in the United States. Outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers will discover endless opportunities to explore the natural history of the caldera’s vast mountain meadows, extensive biodiversity, and meandering streams. The guide includes over 70 color photographs and detailed descriptions of over 25 trails accompanied by topographical maps, recommendations for mountain bikers (in addition to hikers), and a history of the preserve.

Coco Rae is a Los Alamos resident and avid hiker who has gone trekking on five continents but still loves New Mexico’s backcountry more than anywhere else. She has spent the last 20 years wandering the trails of northern New Mexico and has been a volunteer at Valles Caldera National Preserve since 2018. “One of the wonderful things I discovered about VCNP when I was researching the book was how different each of the valles really are— every trail has its own personality, and every valle has its own beauty to reveal. Exploring the caldera in different seasons meant I never had the same experience twice, no matter how many times I hiked a trail. I never get tired of that landscape,”says Coco.

This program is free to the public and is made possible by Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries. Registration is required to obtain a Zoom meeting link and access to the program. Please visit the event calendar at LosAlamosLibrary.org or call Jessica Jenkins at (505) 662-8257 for more information.