Rate El Malpais National Monument
Learn and Explore
Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. But our work doesn’t stop there.
We are proud that tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens ask for our help in revitalizing their communities, preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating close to home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun.
Taking care of the national parks and helping Americans take care of their communities is a job we love, and we need—and welcome—your help and support.
Our Mission
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I obtain a park entrance pass?
Only 118 of your 417 park sites charge entrance fees. You can obtain park entrance passes by visiting a park site that charges an entrance fee. Entrance fee sites have passes available; we recommend calling a park prior to your visit. (See the park search to locate a specific park.) There are a number of entrance passes available, including park-specific passes as well as passes that offer entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites in addition to the national parks (Annual, Military, Senior, 4th Grade, Access, and Volunteer passes). Learn more about the America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.
About this location:
National Monument
Operating Hours & Seasons
El Malpais National Monument
El Malpais National Monument is open 24 hours a day.
Standard Hours
- Sunday:Open 24 hours
- Monday:Open 24 hours
- Tuesday:Open 24 hours
- Wednesday:Open 24 hours
- Thursday:Open 24 hours
- Friday:Open 24 hours
- Saturday:Open 24 hours
Fees & Passes
Entrance Fees:
- $0.00 – El Malpais National Monument Entrance Fee
There is no fee to enter El Malpais National Monument.
About
Rivers of Ancient Fires
The richly diverse volcanic landscape of El Malpais offers solitude, recreation, and discovery. Explore cinder cones, lava tube caves, sandstone bluffs, and hiking trails. Wildlife abounds in the open grasslands and forests. While some may see a desolate environment, people have been adapting to and living in this extraordinary terrain for generations. Come discover the land of fire and ice!
Directions
Take exit 85 of I-40 in Grants, New Mexico. After you exit, head south on Santa Fe Ave, and continue straight over the freeway overpass. Take a left at the entrance sign for El Malpais Visitor Center. Continue 300 yards until you reach the parking lot.
Visitor Centers
El Malpais Visitor Center
Located on exit 85 off I-40 in Grants, NM, the El Malpais Visitor Center is staffed by park rangers from the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. Stop in for maps, information, orientation, cave permits, a Western National Parks Association bookstore, museum exhibits, and park movies. El Malpais Information Center
Open seasonally on Hwy 53 in El Malpais National Monument, this small visitor information center offers cave permits, information, restrooms, and a Western National Parks Association Bookstore.
Weather
As a general rule, daily temperatures swing roughly 30 degrees (F) from night lows to afternoon highs. Summer is sunny and hot with monsoon rain storms with average high of 80 (F), while Winter is cool, sunny, with potential snow storms and an average high of 45 (F). Spring and Fall are generally dry, with the occasional storm rain and/or snow storm.
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