El Malpais National Conservation Area
Camping is allowed in designated sites only. El Malpais National Conservation Area is a BLM unit in Cibola County, New Mexico.
Check current closures and fire restrictions for El Malpais National Conservation Area on the managing agency's own page.
El Malpais National Conservation Area map
El Malpais National Conservation Area boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
Agency fire restriction orders for this unit are not tracked here yet. Restrictions change with the season, so check the current orders before any campfire, stove or target shooting.
County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.
Common questions
- Visitor center, year-round (Fri-Sun): 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Camping is allowed at El Malpais National Conservation Area, in designated sites only.
- El Malpais National Conservation Area is managed by the BLM's Rio Puerco Field Office.
- El Malpais National Conservation Area's listed activities include Photography, hiking, camping, wildlife viewing.
Fees, hours, and reservations
- Visitor center, year-round (Fri-Sun)
Scenic drives
- Chain of Craters Back Country Byway
Camping at El Malpais National Conservation Area
Designated sites only
Getting there
- 20.2 miles from Pinehill
Visitor centers
- El Malpais Ranger Station NM Highway 117, Grants, NM 87020 505-280-2918 (seasonal)
Trails
- La Ventana Natural Arch Trail
Public lands next to El Malpais National Conservation Area
- Wilderness areaCebolla Wilderness lies inside El Malpais National Conservation Area.
- Wilderness areaWest Malpais Wilderness lies inside El Malpais National Conservation Area.
- National forestEl Malpais National Conservation Area borders Cibola National Forest.
- National Park Service unitEl Malpais National Conservation Area borders El Malpais National Monument.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
- gis.blm.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- blm.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- blm.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.