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El Malpais National Monument
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El Malpais National Monument
Amidst New Mexico's mix of desert and mountainous terrain lies El Malpais National Monument, a distinctive area that is neither of the two.
Spanish for "Badlands," El Malpais is made up of lava beds spread over an area of more than 114,000 acres and surrounded by wind-carved sandstone bluffs. The entire basin is filled with blackened lava craters, cones and ripples, covered only sporadically by wild vegetation.
Visitors to the monument can take in the whole basin from the Sandstone Bluffs Overlook, just off New Mexico Highway 117, and by driving the highway, which runs south through the monument for about thirty miles.
Inside the monument, visitors can explore using several hiking trails, including the popular Zuni-Acoma Trail, a prehistoric trade route used by Native Americans. The strenuous 7.5-mile, one-way trail takes hikers over four major lava flows and can offer a glimpse of some of the native wildlife in the area, including golden eagles, prairie falcons and black bears. Another popular spot to explore is Ventana Natural Arch the largest such sandstone formation in New Mexico.
Those looking for even more adventure can explore the many lava tubes and caves in the area, some miles deep and filled with ice. A good starter cave is Junction Cave, located just off Highway 53, east of the monument's information center about a mile deep, the cave is one of the easier places to navigate in the monument. And when visitors finish exploring the cave, they can stop by the information center for exhibits on the area's natural history as well as trail guides for the rest of the monument.
Whatever way vacationers choose to explore, all visitors need to use extreme caution when navigating the lava beds and caves, as the rocks can be sharp and slippery and several trails are marked only by cairns. Visitors can check with the information center to find out which hikes suit their needs and abilities.
El Malpais is open year round, and admission is free.
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View a map of El Malpais National Monument
(Provided by the U.S. National Park Service)
El Malpais is located south of Grants and I-40 with three main access routes. East of Grants, exit 89 takes NM 117 along the eastern boundary 9 miles to the Ranger Station. Directly from Grants, exit 85 leads to the Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center. Exit 81 west of Grants will take you along NM 53 forming the northwest boundary, El Malpais Information Center is 23 miles south on this route.
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