A short trail which leads you past some amazing lava formations. If
you are in the area, you really should take this trail.
Lava Falls
A short trail which leads you past some amazing lava formations. If
you are in the area, you really should take this trail.
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Hike data:
| Controlling agency: | National Park Service; El Malpais National Monument | ||||||||
| Location in the state: | West-central; El Malpais National Monument | ||||||||
| Trailhead waypoint(s): | LFTH | ||||||||
| Elevation: |
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| Elevation gain/loss: | 19 ft; 6 m | ||||||||
| Length: | 0.99 mi; 1.60 km. | ||||||||
| How long it took us (HH:MM): | 01:00. | ||||||||
| Cleanliness: | 10/10 | ||||||||
| Trail usage: | 1.00 people/hour | ||||||||
| Trail Condition: | Excellent. Except for the third cairn, all are easy to see and follow. For cairn number three, look further up the hill (this makes sense if you are there). | ||||||||
| Fee: | $0.00. | ||||||||
| When we hiked it: | 2000-09-17. | ||||||||
| Trailhead facilities: | Trash cans, picnic area. The picnic table has no shade. | ||||||||
| When to hike: | All year. Summer will be hot. Be sure you have enough water and sunscreen. | ||||||||
| General comments: | Boots with good ankle support are important, as the lava is uneven. It is also sharp, so a fall could lead to an unpleasant injury; bring a first-aid kit. |
Maps:
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Getting to the trailhead:
| Exit I-40 at Exit 89, NM 117. Head South on NM 117 for about 28.7 miles. A sign indicates the turnoff to the west for the Lava Falls Trailhead. Follow the gravel road for about 0.8 miles; it dead-ends at the trailhead. |
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The hike:
 | This hike is a cairn trail. Starting out
from the trailhead, you climb a small rise. This is all of the
elevation gain you will get on the hike. Once you are on top of the
rise, what you see is pictured to the right. There are pits where the
lava collapsed into a hole. You are walking on pahoehoe lava, which is
much nicer than hiking on aa lava.
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After a short distance on top of the rise, you slowly descend into a
valley. You can see where the lava flowed down into this valley off on
the far wall.
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 | Life on the lava is hard. This piñon is probably quite old, even
though it is less than four feet high.
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You reach the far side of the valley and then begin to follow the valley
wall a short distance. Where the valley wall begins to turn right, you
can see where the lava flowed over an old, burst pressure bubble in the
lava, forming columns that look like dripped candle wax.
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 | Following the lava fall around to the right, you enter a pit into which
the lava flowed. The trail ends in the center of this pit; Take some
time to look around at all of the different lava formations. Do look
with care, as the lava is quite sharp.
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A little to the left of center (if you are standing at the entrance to
the pit), is a roughly 6ft (2m) deep crack with a fern growing in
it. Obviously the climate at the bottom of the crack is moister
than what you are experiencing at the top.
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 | This "lavasicle" looks like a small stalactite.
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Plants we saw along the trail:
Reader comments about this hike:
On Wed May 25 15:39:33 2005 Doug Frazier from Bethesda Maryland said:One doesn't necessarily think about how volcanic a continent North America is, but here and there one gets a better idea. Didn't do the lava tubes though. Nice Ranger lady at the visitor's center, too. Kudos - an unexpected enjoyable Menument!
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