Hi, All -
Jim Herron of the Friends sent me a note earlier today with directions to Lava Tank, so
I have updated the map accordingly. There were some slight discrepancies between the
distances on the original base map, and the map showing the roads, so again the road
locations are approximate but their relationships should be adequate for finding your way
- especially if you also follow Jim's excellent directions, which he has given me permission
to reproduce here. (The cemetery mentioned in the following has been added to the base
map as a green square marked with the letter "C".):
"My Friends crew has ventured into Lava Tank almost yearly during the Friends June work sessions over the past 4-5 years, so I thought I'd give you directions on how to get there. These came from Marvin Casias, who should know the easiest way.
"Take the blacktop labeled Rd12.5 southwest from the Antonito Depot. It parallels the Railroad for a quarter mile or so, then turns south towards San Antonio. Keep driving south past San Antonio. Eventually, the blacktop angles off to the southwest climbing a small hill. After another 0.3 to 0.5 mi, it turns to the south towards the town of Ortiz. An old cemetery will be on the north side.
"Instead of turning south with the blacktop towards Ortiz, stay on the gravel road that continues straight towards the southwest (you can continue on this road to go to the Lava pump house). After 0.1 mi, turn right on another gravel road that climbs up the hill to a newer cemetery located above the old one. The road to Lava turns off to the left about 0.1 mi before you get to the cemetery. If you miss the turn, the cemetery road loops through the cemetery, so you can use it to turn around.
"The "Lava Rd" forks to the left and right almost immediately after you turn into it. Take the right fork, which climbs northeast up onto the mesa. Once it reaches the top of the mesa, it makes a wide loop back towards the southwest. Continue driving southwest on this road for 2-3 miles until you get to the tank. There are a couple places where other roads fork off to either the right or left, but keep going straight. Eventually, you'll see the tank in the distance and can use it for a landmark.
"This road is in fair shape (certainly no problem for my Jeep) until it passes into New Mexico. From there to the tank (about 0.8 mi), it's a lot rougher with 8" gullies in some places and some rocks. However, it's passable with a 4 wheel drive if you go slow and keep out of the gullies.
"From the new cemetery, it takes about 45 minutes to get back to the tank. Before trying this route, I suggest looking it up on either Mapquest (which clearly shows it) or Google Earth.
"Let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Jim Herron (james.herron@utah.edu)
Friends Director"
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2009 03:16PM by Russo Loco.
