El Malpais

As flowi ng masses of hot lava cooled , large !ava tube caves were form ed. One lava tube system extends 17 miles at El Ma lpais. Where Sharp Lava Meets Smooth Sandstone In satellite photo images of New Mexico, lava flows blanketing much of El Malpais National Monument and National Conservation Area look like a huge lake southwest of Grants. The imagery betrays only dominant landscape features-lava flows, mountain ranges, mesas-that in reality mask a myriad of mysteries and wonders. El Malpais means "the badlands" in the Spanish language and is most commonly pronounced e/1-ma/-pie-ees. Its volcanic features include jagged spatter cones, a lava tube cave system extending at least 17 miles, and fragile ice caves. There is much good in these badlands; the area offers diverse natural environments and tantalizing evidence of American Indian and European history. More than mere artifacts, these cultural resources are kept alive by the spiritual and physical presence of contemporary Indian groups, including the Puebloan peoples of Acoma , Laguna, and Zuni, and the Ramah Navajo. These American Indians made their homes here and continue their traditional uses. Pc radoxically, the malpais landscape is at once primal, pristine, a ient, and surprisingly modern. Here is a living remnant of th"' Old Southwest approaching the 21st century as virtual terra in ognita or unknown lands. With continuing research, new knowle ge is revealed. Lava that poured out of McCarty's Cone establi hed a new land surface 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. Elsewhere, an ient Douglas-fir trees thrive in the midst of rugged lava terra n. The diversity of life tells a story of unique adaptation to a challenging environmen t. Past and present, myth and reality mix he re and will continu e to mix for ce nturies to come. Many landscape features in El Malpais bear Hawaiian names because early scientific knowl edge of volcanoes was developed in h e Hawaiian islands. Kipu ka s are undi sturbed areas that lava fl ows enc irc led but did not cover. These ecologica l island s of veg eta tion are living remnants of native plant and animal com- Visitor Services El Mc.lpais. N. Mex .. lies in th e high desert lands so uth of Inte rstate 40 midway between Albuquerqu e and Gallup. To the east are reservati on lands of the Lagu na and Aco ma Ind ians; to the west are those of the Zu ni and Ra mah Navajo. The Nationa l Park Service (N PS) ad mini ste rs El Malpais National Monument, and th e Bureau of Land Managem ent (BLM) administers El Malpai s Nati onal Conse rvation Area. These agencies operate a vis ito r center in Grants. The BLM also has a visitor center 9 mil es so uth of Interstate 40 on State Road 11 7. Fo r more informat ion w ri te to Nationa l Park Service. P.O. Box 939, Grants, NM 87020, or Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 846, Grants, N M 87020. Road access to the nati onal mon ument and nati ona l co nservation area is via State Roads 53 and 11 7 and Coun ty Road 42, whi ch links the state roads on the west and sout h of the area. Use hi gh-clearance vehicles off the state routes; 4whee l-d rive veh icles are not generally req uired. Dirt roads may be impassable when wet. Note: all veh icles are restricted to existing, designated roads. In wild erness areas both ve hicles and mechanized equipment are pro hibited. Some 85 pe rce nt of the nat ional monument has been found suitab le fo r ultimate designati on as wi lderness. In the NPS-managed nati ona l monument, cattle grazing continues throug h 1997, from whi ch tim e the land wi ll be kept as near its natu ral co nditi on as possi bl e. In th e BLM managed co nservation area, hunt ing and tra pping are allowed and cattle grazing will continue. o els, camping, food , and other travel services an d facili ties are avail able 1n and near Grants. N ex. Make your first sto at the v1s1tor ce nter in rants o obtain maps, bo ks, and other publ ications abou t the area. Raf\gers can answer quest1 of\s about you r visit, inc lu ing road co nditions an(j poin ts of interest. munities. Study of these kipukas will provide benchmark Information for restoring disturbed portions of El Malpais. Lavn types bear Hawaiian names, too. Smoother, ropy-textured lava are pahoehoe, pronounced pah-hoy-hoy. Sharp, jagged lava that rip up all but the sturdiest hiking boots are aa, pronounce!J ah-ah. By studying active volcanoes, geologists can determine h w similar features formed at El Malpais. For more than 10,000 yea rs people have interacted with the El Mal pais land scape. While tru ly anc ient Ind ian artifacts have been found, peak human occupation occurred between 950 and 1350. During th is time. El Mal pa is was at th e fringe of a po li tical and econom ic system centered in Chaco Canyon , 80 mil es to the north . As participants in this system. the ancestors of modern Pueb loans, ca ll ed "Anasaz i·· by archeolog ists, established outlier commun ities along the edges of the lava flows. When the Chacoan Cultural Traditions Exploring El Malpais Southwestern American Indians have deep ties to El Malpais. The lands have fi gured in Acoma, Laguna. Zuni . and Ramah Navajo cu ltures for thousands of years. Their ancestra l uses- gathering herbs and med icines, paying respect, and renewing ties - co nti nue today. Protection of these lands ensures the conti nuation of tradi tions that are an integral element of th is region 's cultura l di versity. Many poi nts of interest ca n be reached by or from area roads . Ask at visitor ce nters about maps and brochu res describing these areas. Al ways check on local road and trai l co nd itions. Cebolla Wilderness East of State Road 117 lie some 62.000 acres of forested rim rock coun try, th e Ce boll a Wil derness. This area is ric h in prehistoric petrog lyphs and historic homesteads. Sandstone Bluffs Overlook An easy drive leads to a ridge of sandstone offe ring excell ent vistas of El Malpais lava flows and surrou nding countrys ide. The Narrows Where lava flowed near t he base of 500-foot-high sandstone c liffs , State Road 117 threads a narrow corridor. Intriguing lava fo rmations reward exploration of the McCarty's Lava Flow in th is area. La Ventana Natural Arch Largest of New Mexico 's read ily accessible natural arches, La Ventana was eroded from sa ndstone dati ng back to the age of d in osa urs. See large photo, above ri ght. Zuni-Acoma Trail Formerl y an ancient Anasazi trail , this trail fo llows a t rade ro ute between Zuni and Acoma Pueblos. A tra il gui de leaflet is available for this hike (7 .5 mil es one way) that crosses 4 of the area's 5 major lava flows. El Calderon Area Forested and offering yearround opportunit ies for exploration, El Ca lderon includes Junction Cave, Twin Craters Lava Flow. Double Sinks, El Ca lderon cinder co ne, sand stone formations , and a bat cave. Do not enter the bat cave or otherwise disturb the bats. Big Tubes Area Lava tu bes ca n be huge. If you incl ude its collapsed section s, this tube system is 17 miles long. A trail marked by cairns leads to two caves, Big Skylight and Four 1ndows. Hi ghclearance eh1cles are reqU1red o reac h the Big Tubes area Chain of Cra ter Hot lava be lo • he surface found a ea area here and created a rift lined by 30 c inder cone<> West Malpais Wi lderness Lava surrounds a large ponderosa pin parkland here known as Hole-inthe-Wall. Mech nized access 1s proh1b 1t d. system collapsed in the late 11 OOs, these outlying communities continued to thrive. Although the Anasazi left El Malpais by the mid-1300s, they did not disappear. From here they moved to the Acoma area and established a new homeland. In 1540 Coronado's expedition encountered 2 major Indian pueblos-Zuni and Acoma-flanking El Malpais. When New Mexico became a U.S. territory in 1848, Anglo explorers saw El Malpais as little more than a hindrance to travel. Anglos did not move into El Malpais in significant numbers until the 1920s, before the Great Depression. Many were homesteaders or sheepherders escaping the flood of immigration to other parts of the West. Throughout time El Malpais has been an unrelenting challenge for Indian, Spanish, and Anglo travelers. Today, ancient trails serve as reminders of the perseverance of those who crossed this rugged landscape. Hiking & Camping Safety & Other Considerations Hiki ng trails exist in several areas of El Malpais. Most are marked with rock ca irns; so me are dirt trails. Extreme caut ion should be take n at th e edge of collapses. Falls on lava ca n cause nasty cuts and abras ions. Hikers must have stu rdy boots on the rugg ed, often sharp lavas. Leather work gloves are helpful on lava and in caves. Carry one gall on of wate r per perso n pe r day in sum mer; do not drink surface water. Travel Conditions and Courtesy When roads are wet, trave l is discouraged on dirt roads that normally requi re hig hclearance vehicles. Check at the vis itor ce nter for current cond itions. All ove rnight use requires a free backcoun try use permit vailabl e at th e visitor centers. Cave Safety Never go cav ing alone. Hard hats, boots, protective c lothing, gloves, water, and 3 sou rces of light are necessary when enteri ng lava tubes . Please be careful. Plants and Animals El Mal pais is home to seldom seen poiso nous sco rpi ons and rattl esnakes. Nonpoisonous bullsnakes sometimes act like rattle- * GPO 1993-342·398/80038 snakes. If you encou nter a snaRe, do not disturb it. Al so avo id cactus spines and the sharp-edg ed leaves of yucca. Natural and Cultural Features All natural and c ultu ral features are protected by law. Do not disturb them . Leave arc heolog ical and oth er artifacts in place; they prov ide important informati on about the past. All pl ants and an imals are protected by law in th e nat ional monument. Hunting and trapping in th e natio nal co nse rvati on area require state licenses, and all state regulati ons apply. I LAGUNA INDlAN RESERVATION CIBOLA FOREST To Albuquerque El Morro National Monument DQDJ • Lava Crater _1_ L •Twin Craters •El Malpais I Rang er Station ii...___. ~M~ .Lost Woman Crater -~ NEG RA I \ l I J rt_/ ·cerro n oyr" _ _ INDIAN I r @l Cerro Lobo /J ( ~)---........ Cerro· \ J -.., l EL MALP IS NATI ONAL CONSERVATION ARE~/ (l Cerro .Colorado I ~-- [ } ,)" " (f // WEST MALPAIS \, WILDERNESS ~ ~ - - - ' -'~ ' v- --'\. / J I/ ( \ -r f "- Chato ""'-.. u \ Cerro " ~- \. \ \ \ -- r\ ' ) c=i National Monument (N PS) ~ Pavedroad CJ National Conservation Area (BLM) ~ Unpaved -~ I ,/ '-., C=:J Wilderness Area within NCA (BLM) Lava flow E_:j Unpaved high clearance 4-wheel-drive road E==:::J Hiking trail t ~ I J ( ( ~-~~ (] Gas station ~ Campground A Primitive campsite m INDIAN \ \'(._ RESERVATION z) , -...... ~I • Cebolhta Peak ~ (.) ( D Information i=A \ \ '---' 2-wheel-drive road .McCartys Crater \ -~ l '--..,, RESERVATION / ../ \ El Malpais names both a national monument managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and a national conservation area managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). As a land feature, the term El Malpais - "the Badlands" - is used locally and in other parts of the southwest to refer to lava flows. DJ ' ( J \ I D ~..1.' ----t,..· _...,..,~~ Cerro' .... I ( Cb MA Acoma Pueblo• CRATERS;' I A EL MALPAIS NATIONAL MONUMENT CerYG Huec.G. . Encierro RESERVATION '• / OF INDIAN ', _L _ r Negro. CHAIN ', r / Cerro NAVAJO ' , 1'.ta,-, Cerro Ameri ano • I RAMAH Zo ' - - - - - _11!-~~o-"!.a,~ \ \ Privat e lands exist w ithin present boundaries of El Malpais and must be respected . Please c lose all gat es and st ay on designat ed roads. Do not use this map for hiking. Obtain maps at the visit or Information center and ranger station. Picnic area o 1 Kilometer g Self-guiding trail 0 1 Mile 5 5