El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico

[Ursidae69]

The day before Thanksgiving I decided to stop and spend the day at El Malpais National Monument. I've driven by it a hundred times before and never stopped, so I thought I'd check it out this time. It was well worth the stop and I plan to go back.

It's a volcanic playground, cinder cones, lava fields, tubes, you name it.

Here is a link to some pictures on my webpage.

 

[Wanderlusty]

Looks awesome...

A couple trips ago, we stopped at the Valley of Fires Recreation area near Carrizozo.

http://www.americansouthwest.net/new_mexico/valley_of_fires/recreation_area.html

It isn't quite as varied as El Mapais, but still an interesting sight.

What is so wierd about these old lava beds is that even up close, you would be hard pressed to say that these are MILLIONS of years old!!!! A lot of it looks as if it just boiled it's way up through the earths crust.

Isn't it just simply amazing sometime seeing the handiwork of nature?

 

[Ursidae69]

Looks awesome...

A couple trips ago, we stopped at the Valley of Fires Recreation area near Carrizozo.

http://www.americansouthwest.net/new_mexico/valley_of_fires/recreation_area.html

It isn't quite as varied as El Mapais, but still an interesting sight.

What is so wierd about these old lava beds is that even up close, you would be hard pressed to say that these are MILLIONS of years old!!!! A lot of it looks as if it just boiled it's way up through the earths crust.

Isn't it just simply amazing sometime seeing the handiwork of nature?

I've driven through Valley of Fires, but not hiked in there yet. According to the literature at El Malpais, many of the eruptions were only 10,000 years ago, which is why much of the terrain is so jagged. It hasn't had time to erode. Thanks for the link Fat_Man. :victory:

 

[Wanderlusty]

Ok, well slap me in the face and call me silly (no, don't actually) but I just read in the link I pasted that the volcanic action responsible for Valley of Fires was recent, only between 1500-1000 years ago!!!

I coulda swore that when I visited I had read differently, but it has been almost 3 years. . .

Still, WOW that isn't all that long ago, geologically speaking. A blink of an eye, so to speak. Still looks like it just happened.

 

[whitethaiger]

Nice report Chuck.

I really like that area, vulcanic landscapes like that are just something else. Way back, when we lived in ABQ we did a few trips out there.

 

[Pskhaat]

Reminds me of Crater of the Moon...

Reminds me a lot of the craters of the moon NP/M in ID. Cool terrain I know pictures never do justice.

 

[Ursidae69]

Thanks for the comments everyone. :ylsmoke:

Can you image driving through this stuff, I bet you'd make it a couple hundred yards before the tires would be torn to pieces.

 

[awalter]

The trail around the SW side of the El Pinacate in Sonora crosses lava flows. I was a little concerned my first trip thru. In 2 years, I doubt 5 other vehicles travelled that route.

 

[kcowyo]

Nice Chuck!!

I've spent some time in NM, but mostly tourist traps like Santa Fe and Taos. In addition to the diverse natural beauty, that you captured so well, the whole state has a real unique vibe. Not trying to be all new-agey, but NM is very special. Hard to describe but easy to recognize once you're there.

Cool pics of the lava and ice cave!