La Ventana Arch
 | A short, easy hike to New Mexico's second-largest natural arch. If
you are in the area, make the short stop needed to see the arch.
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Hike data:
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| | Controlling agency: | Bureau of Land Management; El Malpais National Conservation Area | | Region: | West-central; Cebolla Wilderness. | | Elevation: | | start: | 6998ft; 2133m | end: | 6998ft; 2133m | | min: | 6998ft; 2133m | max: | 6998ft; 2133m |
elevation gain/loss: 19ft; 6m.
No value | | Length: | 0.25mi; 0.40km | | Trail: | | surface: | paved | | condition: | Wide | | ease of following: | Easy | | obstacles: | None |
| | Fee: | $0.00 | | Season: | All year. Snow in winter will be a problem only right after a snowstorm; if you can drive the road, the trail is probably OK. | | Dogs: | Unknown. | | Bikes: | Unknown. | | Handicapped accessible: | Unknown. | | Trailhead facilities: | trash can(s). | | Hike attractions: | geology, scenery. |
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When we hiked it:
| Date: | 2000-09-17 |
| Time it took us: | 0:20 |
| Usage (people/hour): | 0.00 People per hour unrecorded. The arch is popular. However it takes so little time to hike that you will likely not see anybody else except on busy weekends. |
| Cleanliness: | 9 |
Waypoints:
| Waypoint | Type | Description |
| LAVNTH | Trailhead | La Ventana Arch trailhead |
| LAVTAR | Scenic point | La Ventana Arch trail end (viewpoint for arch) |
Maps:
Geohack online map list
Paper maps:
| Map name | Cartographer | Year | Scale | Topo map? | Online access | Notes |
| El Malpais Recreation Map and Guide | BLM | 2008 | 1:100000 | Y | Public Lands Information Center (purchase) | Great overview map for El Malpais area, including showing land ownership. |
| Geologic Map of El Malpais Lava Field and Surrounding Areas, Cibola County, NM | USGS (Charles Maxwell) | 1986 | 1:62500 | Y | No online copies. | For sale at the three visitor centers (NPS, BLM, Northern NM) around El Malpais. |
| Guide to Indian Country of Arizona Colorado New Mexico Utah | Automobile Club of Southern California | 1998 | 1:0 | N | Arizona Strip Interpretive Association (purchase) | Good overview road map for northwest NM. No scale is given on the map. The corner coordinates are approximate. |
| Wildernesses of New Mexico | US Forest Service | 1981 | 1:1000000 | N | No online copies. | Base map with national forests, wilderness areas and highways. |
Getting to the trailhead:
From I-40, take exit 89 at NM 117. Head south to mile marker 39 (about
17.4 miles), where the turnoff to the parking area for the trailhead is.
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About the hike:
 | Starting from the trailhead, follow the paved trail out to a sign
talking about the formation of the arch. From here, the trail turns to
dirt, but remains easy to follow. A few more minutes of walking and you
are as close as you can get to the arch (GPS: LAVTAR N 34.869833 W 107.889540). The view
from this closest point is what you see pictured here.
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Plants we saw along the trail:
Reader comments about this hike:
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You can continue to follow a trail that takes you to an area directly under the arch. The first time I visited, that trail was closed, but in 2003 it was open and I made some very nice images from beneath the arch. Contact me for a link to my page of photos from our 2003 visit. -Richard From the webmaster: His page of photos is here. Note that the trail he describes to get under the arch is closed (again?). On Sun Jan 30 07:39:50 2011 Catherine from Albuquerque, NM said:
Visited late in the afternoon yesterday and it was gorgeous - and huge! I hadn't seen arches that big since Utah! The path is easy to walk with a slight incline. At the end is a viewing area sorta in front of the arch. I wish I could have gotten closer to see the sky through the arch because my pictures look pretty flat. Nice area though!