El Malpais National Monument
High Traffic Alert
This park experiences heavy crowds, especially on weekends.
Check out the similar parks below for a better experience
Popular destination, arrive early for parking
Best: Weekdays before 10am
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!
Try These Instead
These parks offer similar experiences with fewer crowds
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
For thousands of years, groups of nomads used the caves above Cliff Dweller Creek as temporary shelter.
Why go: Similar hiking, wildlife viewing, caves experience
Around 116 miles away
