2:40 p.m.
Visitor Center

From El Morro National Monument we continued east on Highway 53 to El Malpais National Monument and the El Malpais National Conservation Area. We stopped at a small National Park Service Visitor Center on the south side of the road. There are restrooms and drinking water there.

We picked up some information on the local area, bought a book, and talked to the Ranger behind the counter. We also were there while two backpackers came through. They are hiking the Continental Divide Trail, from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. They looked tired and dusty, but fit. They were glad to find a source of water.

The area is similar to other volcanic regions in Idaho and California and other places that we've visited. Much of the landscape is covered in the rough black lava flows, with patched of trees and other vegetation scattered about. It's a wild landscape with volcanic cones visible here and there along the horizon.

3:52 p.m.
Sandstone Bluffs Overlook

From the Visitor Center we continued east to Grants, where we caught Interstate 40 again, and then turned off onto Highway 117 south. We drove to the Sandstone Bluffs Overlook, which sits on a high plateau along the east side of Monument. Part of the route is over dirt roads. We also passed the BLM Visitor Center along this route, but did not stop.

From that vantage point we could look out over the volcanic flows and see a whole string of volcanoes to the north. It’s pretty barren land. I imagine hiking for very long through this geology could get tedious, with little to break the monotony.

There are rest rooms and an information kiosk at overlook, but no drinking water.

4:11 p.m.
Garrett Homestead

On the way back toward Interstate 40 we stopped at the Garrett Homestead site (pictured at the top of this page), an interesting stone building that is in ruins. Apparently there are ruins of out buildings visible in this area, but we did not spot them.

From there we drove east to Albuquerque.