El Malpais National Monument & lava tubes

Home ** Travel Adventures by Year ** Travel Adventures by State ** Plants ** Marine-Boats ** Geology ** Exciting Drives ** Cute Signs ** RV Subjects ** Miscellaneous Subjects

More New Mexico Adventures ** Some Exciting Drives ** More 2007 Travel Adventures

   

   
  

 

El Malpais National Monument & lava tubes near Grants, New Mexico

May 4, 2007

We are staying in the Blue Spruce RV Park $13.50 for 50-amps, water & Cable TV with central dump. Blue Spruce is located on the south west corner of the I-40 exit 81 intersection. It is an OK campground to use for touring the area. The owners were nice and friendly.

 

Lava Flow in El Malpais National Monument

Lava Flow in El Malpais National Monument

 

 

 

 

El Malpais means "the badlands" in Spanish and is pronounced el-Mal-pie-EES. El Malpais National Monument preserves volcanic features such as jagged spatter cones, a lava tube cave system extending at least 17-miles, as well as fragile ice caves.

This picture features the cindercone of an ancient volcano in the background with a collapsed lava tube in the foreground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collapsed lava tube in El Malpais National Mounument

Collapsed lava tube in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

This is the far end of a good size sink (where a lava tube has collapsed). This sink is located on one of the walking paths in El Malpais.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

 

 

This is looking down into a small sink with a lava tube cave at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

 

This hole leads into a lava tube cave. No telling what creatures live in the depths of that tunnel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

 

 

This is a good size sink that leads to a cave (lava tube cave).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

Looking down into that sink, pictured above, showing the entrance to the cave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

 

This is yet another sink with a lava tube entrance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

 

This is the entrance to one of the lava tubes that cavers can enter and explore in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

Lava tube "cave" in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

 

 

 

 

By now you can tell this is a lava tube that has collapsed and created an entry point for adventuresome cave explorers.

Bats use one of these caves as home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collapsed lava tube in El Malpais National Mounument

Collapsed lava tube in El Malpais National Mounument

 

 

This is a collapsed lava tube. Talk about "bad-lands" or "devil's playground" this is it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raven in El Malpais National Monument

 

 

 

This raven was patrolling the area around one of the sinks in El Malpais National Monument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More New Mexico Adventures

Some Exciting Drives** More 2007 Travel Adventures

 

 

Mike & Joyce Hendrix

Mike & Joyce Hendrix

Mike & Joyce Hendrix who we are

We hope you liked this page. If you do you might be interested in some of our other Travel Adventures:

Mike & Joyce Hendrix's home page

Travel Adventures by Year ** Travel Adventures by State ** Plants ** Marine-Boats ** Geology ** Exciting Drives ** Cute Signs ** RV Subjects ** Miscellaneous Subjects

 

We would love to hear from you......just put "info" in the place of "FAKE" in this address: FAKE@travellogs.us

Until next time remember how good life is.

 

   
    Passport America, Save 50% on Campsites

 

  

 

    Passport America, Save 50% on Campsites