Went on a nice long hike and there was nearly nobody else in the trail, just how I like it! Worth a visit to this hidden gem! read more

El Malpais National Monument - Parks Near Me - Grants, New Mexico

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Amazing landscape of black lava flows. Make sure to wear hiking boots or good secure shoes if walking in the Malapais. Check out the Sandstone Bluffs nearby as well, with views overlooking the lava flow. read more

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My favorite place on a cross country trip! Didn't have time to explore the trails but the visitor center was worth it. Also, before and after the visitors center you can see lava flow along I-40 East. Pretty cool... The 15 minute movie is great and the gift shop is fun shopping. read more

El Malpais National Monument - El Malpais Monument Visitor Center along I-40. - Parks Near Me - Grants, New Mexico

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This is one of many locations in the US West where you can see first-hand the remnants of lava flows from relatively recent history. New Mexico has a surprisingly active volcanic history and El Malpais is one of the best places to see it on display firsthand. The park spans a vast landscape and features several trails, one of which, the Zuni-Acoma which runs concurrent with the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), runs directly over a rugged section of the flows for 7.5 mi. Other short trails take you around volcanic cones, craters, and caves. In summer it's a great place for viewing bats or if you want a real challenge, the "true" CDT wraps around the west edge of the park Done with outdoor pursuits? The visitor center has a wonderful informative walkthrough and a well stocked gift shop for those postcard folks out there like me. read more

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Two hours to get to El Malpais is a very long drive. I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth it, but standing at the Sandstone bluff overlook was amazing. The expanse of land that spread out in front of me was breathtaking. The park's sights can be accessed two ways. Highway 53 has the hiking trails and Highway 117 has the scenery that can be easily seen. The Visitor center is between these two in Grants. read more

El Malpais National Monument - Parks Near Me - Grants, New Mexico

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It was so pretty and interesting geology. Zuni mountain and lava flow and pinnacles. Fun! Even in December it was not cold in day time. Only 1 another person hiked. Very peaceful and nice. I need to come back to NM to explore more. read more

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A lovely snowy day. We walked as close as we could get along a paved path, though slippy and snowy. It was pretty much a blizzard when we left. The arch is fab, oh how we do love us some New Mexico and its sandstone. Really great and the first stop on our trip. No one else around, splendid isolation. read more

Beautiful land! Then tunnel arch was very pretty and easy to get to. You're welcome short little detour off of I 40. No fee to get in. The sandstone cliffs were really beautiful also read more

No doubt, this is a beautiful part of Mexico. But the El malpais National Monument itself is hard to put a finger on. There are all sorts of things in the area to see, but the monument, the enormous lava field, is either viewed from one of the other locations or from The Visitor Center in Grants New Mexico. There is a dirt road that traverses the area mapped as the monument--route 44. Although after viewing several YouTube videos showing trips across that road there didn't look like much of a point. It's a bumpy dirt road but it didn't look like there was much to see off roadside. At The Visitors Center the park ranger explained that the primary sites of the El malpais area are, number 1, El Morro National Monument off Highway 54, and number 2, the sites off of Highway 117 on the opposite side of the lava field. He did not recommend taking the long Dirt Road in between. read more

We really enjoyed our visit here. We had stayed in our travel trailer in the Walmart parking lot in Grants since there were no spaces available at any of the RV parks. So we had it with us when we drove through the park. We had no trouble finding a place to park and get out and walk. We loved the sandstone bluffs overlooking the lava fields, and the arch was impressive. I was glad we decided to visit. read more

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Our family of 4 generations went on a Fall Break road-trip from Texas to Arizona and New Mexico to visit some NPS sites. On our way back home from Arizona, we stopped at the La Ventana Arch!! The whole area was Amazing!! We did not have time to hike to the lava tubes, we will plan another visit for that in the future! We stopped in Grants at the Visitor Center. We were sworn in as Junior Rangers and enjoyed visiting with the Park Ranger. She told us a lot of information about El Malpais and the other New Mexico volcanoes!! The visitor center had lots of information to look at and read! We will definitely be planning another trip to finish the parts of the park we missed this time!! read more

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Take the time to see El Malpais, the bluffs... La Ventana Arch... beautiful place and definitely a must see when coming through Grants!

This seems like a difficult park to wrap your arms around, but I definitely enjoyed my time here. I hiked the El Calderon trail and saw wildflowers, lava tube caves, a caldera, and made my way around a volcanic cinder cone. I stopped at the beautiful visitor center off of I-40 and the man working wisely suggested I also visit the Sandstone Cliffs and La Ventana Arch (largest arch in NM). The view of the lava flows from the cliffs was amazing! I'd definitely love to return and explore more that this park has to offer. Bonus: it's super not crowded. I barely saw any other people on a Saturday in June. read more

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El Malpais was not one of my favorite national monuments I've visited recently but the views are definitely nice. We did the scenic drive out to the arch and the half mile hike up to it. Since it's right off the highway I-40 it was worth a visit on our road trip but I would not go out of my way to visit. read more

Excellent place to research lava tubes a caves. Please make sure you have a cave permit and someone with you. There is also a free campground on site! read more

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Fantastic unique place!!! I can't describe and do it justice so get here as soon as possible. Take time off and experience the majesty of this magnificent natural landscape. read more

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This national monument is just south of Grants, New Mexico. We have visited twice, once in mid June it was very hot and recently first week of May happen to be a very windy both days we were there. Stayed for free at the BLM campground which has very clean pit toilets. bring your own water. From this location you can visit several viewing areas and the natural arch close by. My wife and I ride on a motorcycle together and the first time we did an evening ride we were inundated with dodging bats flying across the highway. Second time we went on a morning ride all the way down to Pie Town which is 45 miles south, 65% on dirt roads from the BLM campground. Lots of CDT hikers to chat with, and view along the ride. read more

El Malpais definitely offered a very unique experience for me and my friends last year. One of, if not the, best National Monument I've ever been to. I've checked out caves before (Carlsbad, Lehman, Luray), but they were all lit up and led by tours. In El Malpais you have to bring your own headlamps and you are on your own out there. Really, these caves are lava tubes, but they are very interesting. My friends and I took the very rough dirt road to the Big Tubes area. You have to have four wheel drive to get through this road without getting stuck in the tire tracks. Including its collapsed caves, this tube system is 17 miles long and features two caves, Big Skylight and Four Windows. The photos I posted are from Four Windows Cave and I definitely recommend checking it out. The park rangers suggest wearing a hard hat, but honestly you don't need one since none of us came anywhere close to bumping our heads. You will definitely need a few flashlights though, so be sure to bring some along. I hope to someday return to this park for further exploration. I've never done anything like it in the dozens of other National Parks I have visited. Please don't feed wildlife. read more

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Very cool place, it's gorgeous. I intended to camp at the free primitive campsite area, but it was closed for renovations, which kinda screwed my day up -- but it was still nice to walk around and check out El Malpais. I hope to come back again when the campgrounds are open. PS: they were closed as of late Nov. 2010, so call before trying to camp here. read more

El Malpais National Monument - Parks Near Me - Grants, New Mexico

Beautiful scenery. Very nice visitor's center. Lots of places to hike.

El Malpais is located about 20 miles south of Grants, New Mexico and is a National Monument that explores a region that was once home to an active volcano. The terrain is now covered with volcanic rocks and there are lava tubes that wind their way underground throughout the park. There is a huge area of this that is actually a National Conservation Area maintained by the BLM. The National Park administered section has a scenic drive, a good hike to El Calderon (which is not as exciting to see as the hike getting there), chain of craters road, and many underground lava tubes that can be explored. The visitor center is mostly just a book store and the only audio-visual information we received was from the very friendly and helpful ranger who was on duty when we visited on October 4, 2006. But, you can get your National Parks Passport stamped here! In addition to the activites that are presented by the NPS, there is also a private business located in El Malpais. The Ice Caves tourist trap offers a hike to another caldera, one much younger and more impressive looking and then a hike to a cave that maintains a 31 degree temperature year round and is full of ice. It's pretty weird, but super cool! We hiked the trail to El Caldera, partially in the rain and we stopped and checked out the Lava Tube cave at the beginning of the trail. We went down inside, but only to the tiny mouth as we did not have caving gear. A trail guide is provided by the NPS visitor center which interprets the things and places you see along the trail. There are a couple of lava sinkholes, a "bat" cave, etc. It is a nice hike (even in the light rain!) that is about 2 miles long. I recommend you take a snack and of course carry plenty of water! The trip back is along a dirt road, which is less scenic, but easy walking. We did NOT visit Chain of Craters road partially due to the weather and the roads. We were told, however that there are many lava tubes to explore back there as well as some amazing hiking along beautiful scenery created by the lava flow. We were not prepared for a caving experience, which is a major attraction at this park. If you want to do some caving, bring caving gear and no matter which part you plan to visit, you'll want good sturdy hiking boots and plenty of water. This is a park that is created for those who are interested in actually getting out there and doing some activities. There really isn't much to see from the comfort of your vehicle and the visitor center did not offer a lot. I do recommend that you stop by the Ice Caves area, though as that ice cave is really something to see and the caldera you can visit there looks just like you think it should. El Malpais is located in an area that is full of things to do, however, including El Morro National Monument, an amazing park just 20 miles south of El Malpais. Further along the highway, you also can visit native american pueblos and a wolf center. It's an area that can keep you busy for a day or a week. Grants, NM has plenty of lodging options for visiting this area and don't miss the North West New Mexico visitor center which has information on EVERYTHING in the area. It was an enjoyable visit, but overall, it was mostly just hiking for us, hence the three stars. I guess if we had gotten down and dirty in the lava tubes, it may have been a more exciting experience. read more

A stop at the ranger station is a must. Our experience was enhanced with the help of ranger. The views are outstanding , easy driving, the hikes were pleasant. It is a dog friendly park, just keep your pooch on a leash. For the time being Camping is FREE. The pit toilets are clean. The spaces have a metal shade structure. Most spots are level. read more

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This review is for the Sandstone Bluffs at El Malpais. Free and truly breathtaking! We were short on time and light so we only made it to the Sandstone Bluffs before turning back towards the highway. The ranger station had already closed for the day when we passed it, and the Sandstone Bluffs gates close at dusk so we were on our own. I was worried they were gonna lock us in as we were visiting at dusk! It's a dusty rock road ruffly 1.5 miles up, I have 22" Chrome rims (totally forgot about those things!) But we made it up *ping, ping, ping* as the rocks ricocheted off my truck. Once at the top it's just a short loop, on the loop there is some picnic tables and bins for trash. Yoga (but finding a smooth surface a bit tricky yet possible!) or a picnic would be perfect here! Need a view or a breath of fresh air? I highly recommend this! The view speaks for itself. read more

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The Rangers were very nice polite and provided wonderful information. Morro Rock was incredible and well worth the drive to go see. The half mile Loop is very manageable for all levels read more

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I found some info on El Malpais online and we went to El Calderon area, which is a 3-mile loop. It has a few different features to check out. There are bathrooms at the parking lot and a map for the trail. The day we went was very hot and we didn't make it all the way around the loop. We were not sure what to expect, but enjoyed the trail very much. We went into the lava tubes and ventured part way into the bat cave before heading back to the car. The flies can be bothersome. Bring water and sunscreen! read more

There are two roads in El Malpais- Route 53 and Route 117. If you are looking for beautiful scenery without exerting too much energy, Route 117 is the way to go. The Sandstone Bluffs and young lava is a spectacular sight to see. The Sandstone bluffs are accessed by a relatively short gravel access road that was a bit washboarded when I was there, not much fun in my little RV. Picnic tables and fantastic views make the bumpity bump worth it though. Back on Rte 117 and a bit farther south is the Joe Skeen BLM Campground, free as of this writing. The campground has a camp host, a pot-holed access road, picnic tables and shelters, and no trees. Continuing down Rte 117 is La Ventana Natural Arch and The Narrows. You can get closer to the Arch via a 1/2 mile road trip trail, but it's not wheelchair accessible. The Narrows is where the lava came very close to the sandstone bluffs, so as you are driving down the road you've got lava on one side of you and the bluffs on the other-- awesome! At the end of the Narrows is a picnic area with a trail on top of the bluffs. Farther down the road is the Lava Falls Interpretive area, but I neglected to go that far. Route 53 is more for the folks who want to get out of their car and explore. Since you are some distance from the bluffs, they aren't as dramatic. Rather you are driving through the pretty scenery of the older lava field. Honestly, if you are like me and a bit wary of taking your vehicle off the paved roads, and if you aren't in the mood for a hike, then there isn't as much to see on this road. There is the El Calderon area, a 4 mile hike (though you can take the shortcut to make it a 3 mile hike) which affords you opportunities to check out a cave, 'sinks', a lava trench and cinder cone. Major bonus for this hike is that dogs ARE allowed on it! The maintained trail won't hurt their paws like hiking on lava would...though if you take your dogs you can't enter the caves. Further down Route 53 is the turnoff to the Chain of Craters byway-- a dirt road. Check with the Ranger Station (just before the turnoff to this road) on road conditions before attempting. In the end, for me, the best part of Route 53 was that it took me to El Morro National Monument. read more

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Awesome secluded hiking. Just be aware of your surroundings. Most trails are marked with rock carins so hard to navigate at times. Have fun! read more

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The trail leads right up to the foot of the arch. The arch is beautiful. it is a single structure. Not as great as some of the arches in Utah, but well worth a stop. read more

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This place is amazing, unfortunately most people in Grants don't know it's there. Check out the seven bridges! read more

I live right next to El Malpais and love going through it to get to the goat dairy I live on. The sandstone bluffs are incredible and quite a site to see. read more

El Malpais National Monument - Parks Near Me - Grants, New Mexico

Great stop off of I-40 if you are traveling through New Mexico. We did not have time to do the entire park but on the suggestion of the very kind ranger (nice visitor center) we hiked El Calderon and had a wonderful time. Saw lava tubes, lava flows, hiked up a volcanic cone. The nice thing about National Monuments is that dogs are allowed on all of the trails (unlike Natl Parks) so our dogs had a great time too! Highly recommend this park - we will be back to explore more! read more

Great place to get outdoors and do some hiking! Some great trails, but be careful, it's easy to get disoriented and lose your way.

Definetly worth the stop. Great National Park and the people at the Visitor Center are fantastic and very knowledgeable.