About El Malpais National Monument
The richly diverse volcanic landscape of El Malpais (el-mal-pie-EES) offers solitude, recreation, and adventure. Explore incredible geologic features such as young lava flows, cinder cones, lava tubes, and sandstone bluffs. While some may see a desolate environment, people have been adapting to and living in this extraordinary terrain for generations. Come visit the land of frozen fire!
Quick Facts
Operating Hours
El Malpais National Monument is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the following exceptions: - Sandstone Bluffs Overlook and the West Zuni-Acoma Trail parking lot are open from sunrise to sunset. - El Malpais Visitor Center and parking area is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Winter hours may vary. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving Day, December 25th, and January 1st. - El Malpais Emergency Operations Center is currently closed to the public.
Activities
Getting There
No roads exist through El Malpais National Monument. To explore the east side of the park, take exit 89 off I-40 and head south on Highway 117. To explore the north side of the park, take exit 81 off I-40 and head south on Highway 53. To reach the visitor center, take exit 85 off I-40 in Grants, New Mexico. After you exit, head south on Santa Fe Ave and continue straight over the freeway overpass. Take a left at the entrance sign for El Malpais Visitor Center and continue 300 yards to the parking lot.
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Topics & Themes
Things To Do
See a Bat Outflight at Bat Cave
On warm summer evenings, Mexican free-tailed bats burst from a lava tube known as Bat Cave for a night of…
Hike the El Calderon Trail
El Calderon Area at El Malpais National Monument offers easy to moderate difficulty hiking past lava tube caves, over ancient…
El Calderon is an easy to moderate difficulty hike along a mostly graveled road. The trail is 4.8 miles total,…
Traverse the Lava Falls Trail
Take a hike on the youngest lava flow in El Malpais National Monument and in New Mexico. You will encounter…
he Lava Falls trail is a one-mile, cairn marked route. Due to the rugged nature of the lava flow, good…
El Malpais Night Skies
Explore the Milky Way, countless stars, and planets any time of year! You don’t have to travel far into El…
Explore Sandstone Bluffs Overlook
Gaze across one of the youngest lava flows in the continental U.S. from the vantage of a high sandstone bluff…
There is no established hiking trail at Sandstone Bluffs, but the bluffs can be explored on foot. Please take care…
Visit La Ventana Natural Arch
La Ventana Natural Arch is a beautiful natural arch formation located just off Highway 117 in El Malpais National Conservation…
You can get an excellent view of La Ventana Natural Arch from the parking area or you can take a…
Visitor Centers
El Malpais Visitor Center
Located on exit 85 off I-40 in Grants, NM, the El Malpais Visitor Center is staffed by park rangers from the National Park Service. Stop…
Hours: The El Malpais Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The visitor center is closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25th, and January 1st. The parking lot also closes and there is no overnight parking.
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