J A Volcano
J A Volcano rises to 1,795 m in New Mexico. Sandia Crest stands 3,255 m to the east-northeast, 19 miles off. The nearest named place is Black Volcano, a peak 0.4 miles away. Historic Route 66 passes 4.1 miles off.
The story
JA Volcano is an inactive volcano located near Albuquerque, New Mexico. JA Volcano is the southernmost of 5 volcanoes in a 5-mile chain within the western boundary of Petroglyph National Monument. The volcano has been the site of repeated pranks:
"Volcano "Erupts" But Fools No One—a 1950 newspaper headline declared. Nobody was fooled, apparently, because the same prank—piling tires on the side of a volcano and setting them on fire to simulate an eruption—had been tried in 1947 with much greater success (even causing a panic in the city). For years students from nearby St Joseph would paint a "J" on Vulcan Volcano, when the light is right it can still be seen." St. Joseph College was later named the University of Albuquerque. In 1950 the College of St. Joseph began its move into a newly built campus on the palisades along the Rio Grande below the volcano. The name was changed to the College of St. Joseph on the Rio Grande. In 1966, the institution changed its name again to the University of Albuquerque. Twenty years later, it closed its doors and became the campus of St. Pius X High School. The volcano is composed of a type of volcanic rock called olivine tholeiitic basalt. Radiometric dating indicates an age for this rock of about 156,000 years. The volcano consists of two flows with a spatter cone at the center. Late in the eruption, subterranean pressure bulged the surface beneath the cone, causing radial cracking that resulted in emplacement of dikes around the cone. A final explosion blew out the eastern rim of the cone.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q6107757, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1795 m
How to reach it
- 4.1 mi off the Historic Route 66, National
- 7.2 mi off the El Camino Real, National
- 8.8 mi off the Corrales Road
- 19.1 mi off the Turquoise Trail, National
Overlooks nearby
- Pondorosa Point · 18 mi
- Cañon La Cueva Overlook · 19 mi
- Bodhi Tree · 19 mi
- Lightning Scarred Tree · 19 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Black Volcano: 0.4 mi
- Vulcan Volcano: 1.0 mi
- Bond Volcano: 2.1 mi
- Butte Volcano: 2.6 mi
- Cerro Colorado: 10.0 mi
- Alpine Park: 2.0 mi
- Parkwest Park: 2.4 mi
- Rinconada Point Park: 2.7 mi
- Parkway Park: 2.9 mi
- Sundoro South Park: 2.9 mi
- Petroglyphs: 5.8 mi
- Petroglyphs: 5.9 mi
- Petroglyphs: 5.9 mi
- Petroglyphs: 5.9 mi
- Petroglyphs: 5.9 mi
- Compass Rose: 2.2 mi
- American Flag Roof: 5.1 mi
- The Rescue: 5.7 mi
- Clyde & Carrie Tingley: 6.3 mi
- Cervantes: 6.3 mi
- American International Rattlesnake Museum: 6.2 mi
- The Albuquerque Museum of Art & History: 6.2 mi
- Explora: 6.4 mi
- Indian Pueblo Cultural Center: 6.5 mi
- New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society: 6.9 mi
- AT&SF 2926: 6.8 mi
- The Franciscan Hotel: 7.3 mi
- New Mexico Madonna of the Trail: 7.3 mi
- Albuquerque on the Camino Real Historical Marker: 7.5 mi
- Fallout Shelter: 7.6 mi
- Tingley Park: 7.2 mi
- La Cueva Picnic Site: 16.9 mi
- Double Shelter Group Area: 17.2 mi
- Family Picnic Site: 17.4 mi
- Juan Tabo Picnic Sites: 17.4 mi
- Artesian Well: 15.8 mi
- Drinking Fountain Spring: 17.4 mi
- Embudo Spring: 17.6 mi
- Oso Springs: 17.8 mi
- Bear Canyon Spring: 17.9 mi
- Curandera Garden: 5.5 mi
- ABQ BioPark (Botanic Garden): 5.7 mi
- Model Railroad Garden: 5.7 mi
- Barelas Community Garden: 7.5 mi
- Castetter Greenhouse: 9.0 mi
- Paseo de la Mesa Open Space: 2.3 mi
- Trailhead: 7.4 mi
- Rio Rancho Bosque Preserve South Entrance: 14.6 mi
- Rio Rancho Bosque Nature Preserve: 15.6 mi
- Sandia Mountain Natural History Center: 22.2 mi
- Carpenter: 9.9 mi
- Travertine Falls: 21.5 mi
- Standing Rock: 21.6 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 22.9 miles of J A Volcano. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandia Crest | ENE 73° | 3,255 m | 19.1 mi |
| North Sandia Peak | ENE 67° | 3,184 m | 19.3 mi |
| The Needle | ENE 69° | 3,127 m | 19.0 mi |
| The Thumb | ENE 73° | 3,081 m | 18.7 mi |
| The Chimney | ENE 72° | 3,051 m | 18.9 mi |
| Tombstone | ENE 70° | 3,048 m | 19.1 mi |
| Jawbone | ENE 77° | 3,014 m | 19.5 mi |
| South Sandia Peak | E 91° | 2,982 m | 19.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:46 | 19:19 |
| June solstice | 05:54 | 19:48 | 20:25 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:32 | 19:05 |
| December solstice | 07:12 | 16:20 | 17:00 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 37 | 42 | 49 | 57 | 66 | 76 | 79 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 45 | 37 |
| Precip in | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Petroglyph Natl MON, 4 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 933039 — J A Volcano, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
OpenStreetMap element node/357612878
Day trips start here
- Albuquerque · 7 mi
- Bernalillo · 17 mi
- Los Lunas · 22 mi
- Cedar Crest · 23 mi
- Central New Mexico · 26 mi
Take the scenic way to J A Volcano.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.