 |
| From El Malpais, New Mexico |
El Malpais, the badlands south of Grants, is an especially large lava flow in New Mexico. (Another is Jornado del Muerte – Journey of Death, southeast of Socorro, New Mexico. Yet another sprawls over the westside of Albuquerque.) El Malpais is gorgeous, especially if you hike a bit at Sandstone Bluffs, the Narrows, and Lava Falls, all of which are along the eastern edge (US117), as is the Visitors Center.
My most recent trip to El Malpais was 1/13/11 (26th anniversary of my Mom’s death).
You can circumnavigate El Malpais, although the southwestern road that connects US117 and US53 is dirt, but decent. There are lots of sights and other trails south and west, notably Big Hole, some caves, and the Zuni-Acoma Trail (ZAT) across the lavafield.