Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave: New Mexico's Land of Fire and Ice

Sitting on top of the Continental Divide just a stone's throw from Interstate 40, the Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave is truly the land of fire and ice. About 10,000 years ago, a massive volcanic eruption created a huge crater in the top of a mountain. In the lava flow, a very uniquely shaped cave formed. The shape of that cave, coupled with the incredible insulating properties of the lava rock, keeps the inside of the cave at a constant 31°F year-round, allowing ice accumulations that are 20-30 feet thick in places. Some of the ice inside the cave is over 1,000 years old.