El Malpais National Monument, 9/14/2019

A short distance from El Morro is El Malpais (Spanish for “badlands”) National Monument (about 60 miles from Gallup, NM). We chose to spend a day at each (instead of visiting both in one day). I am glad we did, because there is a lot to see in each and they are quite different. 

The El Malpais Visitor Center is right off I-40 at Exit 85. It has beautiful exhibits about the cultural and geologic history of the area. 

There are sandstone bluffs here (like El Morro), but volcanic activity is the defining feature of this monument. There are four types here:  

• Lava crater: steep-sided with wide mouth core
•  Cinder cone: accumulated cinder ejected from a vent 
• Shield volcano: created by a series of lava flows 
• Composite: formed by series of eruptions over hundreds of thousands of years (Mount Taylor).

Native Americans lived in this rugged terrain for thousands of years. They were an outlier of the Chaco culture that was comprised of over 150 communities over the Four Corners region. The ancient Zuni-Acoma Trail runs through the monument and is a strenuous 7.5 miles hike over reservation four sharp lava flows. Most people moved to the east in the 1300-1400s to what is not the Acoma Indian Reservation. The Continental Divide Trail also runs through a proton of the monument.

We began our visit on the east side of the monument traveling south on Hwy 117 (exit 89 on I-40). The Sandstone Bluffs Overlook was our first stop. There are million-year-old rocks here and some of the youngest lava flows in the US. Just below these bluffs is the McCarty Lava Flow (2,000-3,000 years ago). Can you see the area of black rocks?

You can see that the sandstone bluffs extend for quite a distance. Mount Taylor, the tallest mountain in New Mexico at 11,301’, can be seen in the background. Two campgrounds and trails to the top can be found there.

Leashed pets are permitted here (which is great for our girl, Sadie). I worry about her getting too close to the edge when we are in places like this, but she just seems to know what to do (thankfully). 

Continuing south on Hwy 117, we saw more sandstone bluffs until we reached our next stop, La Ventana Natural Arch. 

A short, gravel trail leads to a closer view of this huge arch. You can see that this is not only an arch, but there is a large opening at the top behind it. 

Retracing our route, we went north on Hwy 117 to I-40 east to Exit 81 to Hwy 53 south (it wasn’t that far) to the El Calderon Area.  This is a forested area where you can get see lava flows and a cinder cone along the 3-mile (moderate) loop trail. 

The first stop along the trail is Junction Cave, a lava tube created by lava flows from (nearby) El Calderon Cinder Cone. The cave is an unexpected sight in this landscape! A scientific study in 1995 found that Junction Cave had many cave-adapted species (mostly microscopic that live in deep crevices and dark corners).

Two deep pits called, Double Sinks, formed when the roofs of lava tubes collapsed. About 80’ deep, owls, squirrels, and ferns live here. 

Thousands of bats fly from Bat Cave (below) at dusk. Some are migratory (Mexican free-tailed bats) and others live here year-round (Townsend’s big-eared and little brown bats) at dusk. You can see Xenolith Cave near Bat Cave.

This lava trench was formed by a river of lava. It is similar to a lava tube, except the roof collapsed when the tube cooled.

As we approached the El Calderon Cinder Cone, we could see both black cinders and red ones. Apparently, there were two major eruptions here, each creating the unique cinders. 

The trail follows the lava trench into the cone. Soil and trees now fill much of the interior cone. 

Cinders (for road construction) and bat guana (for fertilizer) have been mined here, but both are now protected by the National Park Service. We continued on the trail enjoying the interesting terrain here.

This was another fascinating National Park site New Mexico. We have so much enjoyed our stay this year in the Land of Enchantment. Having lived in Pennsylvania for most of my life, I find these places to be very unique...and interesting.

For additional information about El Malpais National Monumet, go to www.nps.gov/elma.

Hiking at El Morro, 9/13/2019

About an hour drive from Gallup, NM, is El Morro National Monument, an oasis along an ancient east-west trade route. 

Driving to the Visitor Center, we saw the huge rock formation called a cuesta (my new word for the day!) It is a long rock formation gently sloping upward at one end and a steep drop-off at the other. 

Our first stop, as always, was the Visitor Center, where there are exhibits about the cultural history of El Morro (The Headland in Spanish). Atop the cuesta is Atsinna, built and inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans from AD 1275 to 1400 (people moved to larger villages in the Zuni Valley). Below are artifacts found there.

Fed by rainwater and snowmelt, is a hidden pool at the base of a sandstone bluff. This reliable, year-round source of water drew inhabitants and then travelers to this spot since at least AD 1000. 

Native Americans, Spanish explorers, missionaries, American soldiers, and pioneers left their mark on the sandstone bluffs. Over 2,000 images and signatures are etched into the cliff walls earning it the name Inscription Rock.  

Spanish expeditions came into New Mexico from 1539 to 1774. Spanish armor and a sword found here are on display. 

Next US military expeditions came to the area from 1846 to 1906. In the mid-1850s, the US Army experimented with the use of camels in the desert environment and passed by El Morro. When the Civil War began, the camel corps was ended. Most of the camels were sold, but some escaped to the desert. In the early 1900s, there were still reports of feral camel sightings from Mexico to Arkansas!

We purchased a trail guide ($2) for the ½ mile, paved Inscription Rock Trail. We walked from the Visitor Center to the trail and came to the pool of water. It is now protected by a fence. When full, the pool is about 12’ deep and holds about 200,000 gallons. Evaporation has an impact on the water level, but the pool has never been dry. There is no spring, but precipitation will refill it.  

Below are a few of the many petroglyphs etched into the sandstone. 

This is an inscription by the first governor of New Mexico, Don Juan De Onate, created in 1605. It is one of the oldest (and more famous) inscriptions.

Breckenridge (US Army) was in charge of the 25 camels that passed through here in 1857. He was killed as a Confederate soldier during in 1863.

E. Penn Long made his mark during a US Army Expedition searching for a wagon route from Fort Smith, AK, to the Colorado River in 1859. The second inscription was made by Caption R. H. Orton of the California Column (Civil War) on his return trip to CA. 

There are so many interesting inscriptions here, each with its own story of a traveler that passed this way. President Theodore Roosevelt designated El Morro a National Monument in 1906. Since that time, the inscriptions and ruins have been protected. I am always so thankful for those before us that had the foresight to preserve these treasures. 

We continued to the Mesa Top Trail (2 mi). It is a loop trail with a steep climb over uneven terrain to reach Atsinna Pueblo and then back down the other side of the cuesta. We followed the trail to the top (leashed dogs permitted) of the bluff where we were rewarded with expansive views. Here’s John telling our doggie, Sadie, all about it. 

The canyon on the opposite side of the bluff came into view. And I was thankful for the railings along the trail here.

You definitely need to stick to the trail and be wary of the cliffs to the valley on one side or canyon on the other.  

The trail continued across slickrock, but Sadie is really good at following a trail. Steps have been carved into some areas of rock of the trail. And there are many interesting rock formations on top. 

Atsinna Pueblo was discovered by an archeologist in 1950. Originally, it was 200’ by 300’ with approximately 875 rooms and an open courtyard. It is estimated that 1,000 to 1,500 people lived here. Crops were grown on the plains. Toe and hand holds in the cliff face to the pond below indicate that water was brought up to the pueblo, but cisterns also captured rain water on top. Both square and round kivas were found. By 1400, Atsinna was abandoned.

This was a great location due to the reliable water supply and the expansive views of the surrounding area.

It was a gentle descent at the end of the loop trail. We really enjoyed seeing the inscriptions, Atsinna ruins, and the amazing rock formations along the trail. 

This is a small national monument with only two trails, but there is a lot to see and experience here. For additional information about El Morro, go to www.nps.gov/elmo.