El Malpais National Monument and National Conservation Area is approximately 1.5 hours west of Albuquerque, near the small town of Grants. The 114,000-acre monument is surrounded by a 376,000-acre conservation area. The monument and conservation areas preserve lava beds, sandstone cliffs, a large sandstone arch, lava tubes, ancient pueblo ruins, and two wilderness areas.
I visited El Malpais in May 2001. I did not get to explore the park as much as I would have liked, so hopefully I will go back soon. What I did have the opportunity to see was beautiful! Check out some of the photos I took. |