How Do You Visit El Malpais National Monument In New Mexico?
On that long, sometimes desolate, corridor between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona, known as I-40, there exists a large lava field left by a once active volcano. This area is now protected as El Malpais National Monument. Both the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management maintain the park. Several trails wind through the bordering pine forests across open fields where sinks in the earth invite exploration. Check at the Information Center, off State Highway 53, or the Ranger Station, off State Highway 117, for inclement weather, trail and sink conditions. Also check about road conditions of the Chain of Craters Backcountry Byway. Access the Zuni-Acoma Trail from Highway 53. The trail is relatively level, however, the porous rock may be a challenge to negotiate. The trail leaves the parking area and a pine forest and enters an open lava field. Stop at the first sink, or lava tube. The sink is within a half mile from the trailhead. Explore the entrance if it’
