El Malpais National Monument

El Malpais National Monument is a national monument run by the National Park Service in New Mexico.

In the park service’s words

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!

From the National Park Service (public domain).

Things to do

• See a Bat Outflight at Bat Cave (1 to 2 Hours): On warm summer evenings, Mexican free-tailed bats burst from a lava tube known as Bat Cave for a night of hunting insects over the lava flows of El Malpais National Monument. Witness this phenomenon for yourself along the El Calderon Trail off Highway 53.
• Hike the El Calderon Trail (1 to 3 Hours): El Calderon Area at El Malpais National Monument offers easy to moderate difficulty hiking past lava tube caves, over ancient lava flows, and around the top of an extinct cinder cone. This trail can be hiked as a 3 mile or 5 mile route.
• Traverse the Lava Falls Trail (1 to 2 Hours): Take a hike on the youngest lava flow in El Malpais National Monument and in New Mexico. You will encounter numerous unique volcanic features on this one- mile cairned route.
• El Malpais Night Skies (1 to 8 Hours): Explore the Milky Way, countless stars, and planets any time of year! You don’t have to travel far into El Malpais to look deep into space!
• Explore Sandstone Bluffs Overlook (15 to 60 Minutes): Gaze across one of the youngest lava flows in the continental U.S. from the vantage of a high sandstone bluff created during the time of the dinosaurs. Explore the cliffs for different views, including a glimpse of New Mexico's second highest mountain!
• Visit La Ventana Natural Arch (20 to 30 Minutes): La Ventana Natural Arch is a beautiful natural arch formation located just off Highway 117 in El Malpais National Conservation Area.
• Hike the Narrows Rim Trail (1 to 6 Hours): Spectacular panoramic views of the lava flows at El Malpais and surrounding landscape are the main attraction of this hike. You may also encounter ravens and other birds of prey enjoying the thermal uplifts here.
• Follow Ancient Footpaths on the Zuni-Acoma Trail (2 to 8 Hours): Hike across a historic trail that connects the pueblos of Acoma and Zuni. This strenuous 7.5 mile hike is an El Malpais classic hike.

Fees and hours

Entrance fee: No entrance fee.

Hours: Open 24 hours, every day. 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.

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.

Drive times run from the airport to Zion Canyon Visitor Center, estimated with OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap roads at normal speeds; allow extra for traffic, stops and construction.

Miles are straight-line distances.

Visitor centers

• El Malpais Visitor Center: Daily, 9:00AM - 5:00PM. 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.

Weather

As a general rule, daily temperatures swing roughly 30 (F) from night lows to afternoon highs. Summer is sunny and hot with monsoon rain storms and an average high of 80 (F). Winter is cool, sunny, with potential snow storms and an average high of 45 (F). Spring and fall are generally dry with the occasional storm rain and/or snow storm. For more information on weather and current weather conditions visit https://www.nps.gov/elma/planyourvisit/weather.htm

From the National Park Service (public domain).

Know before you go

Drones are banned at almost every park site, and you may not take rocks, plants or artifacts. Pets must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet where they are allowed. Bring no firewood from home.

Nearby

The nearest national park is Petrified Forest, about 102 miles away in a straight line.

Sources

• National Park Service Data API: El Malpais National Monument (public domain)
• Official website

Last checked 1 November 2026.