Natural Arch: The La Ventana Natural Arch is a dramatic and impressive formation located in the El Malpais National Conservation Area near Grants. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos

We have never visited El Malpais National Monument, a relatively new park just south of Grants, but wanted to check it out. While driving the back roads through New Mexico on a return trip from Arizona last spring, we stopped at La Ventana Natural Arch. 

As it turned out, La Ventana Natural Arch is located on the El Malpais National Conservation Area, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management where the El Malpais National Monument is managed by the National Park Service. Both the National Monument and the Natural Conservation Area were established in 1987. I am unclear on why there are two adjoining park areas managed by different offices, but this is a question for our next visit.

El Malpais translates to “the bad lands” and the landscape shows those characteristics. The area is populated with pinon and juniper trees which are surrounded by rocky landscape and sandstone cliffs. The La Ventana Natural Arch is one of the largest natural arches in New Mexico.

The hike from the base to the arch is only about a quarter of a mile each direction. Once at the base of the arch, you can really appreciate the massive size of this formation as well as the sandstone cliffs in the area. While we barely scratched the surface of exploring El Malpais, the scenery was spectacular, and we will schedule more time on our next visit.

We visited this area in March 2020 just days before things began to shut down due to COVID-19. These parks may have closures or restrictions until further notice.

Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country and he shares his photographs, which appear in the ‘Posts from the Road’ series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.

Distant View: A view of the natural arch is seen from a distance as it blends into the canyon walls above the pinon and juniper landscape. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Cliffs: While hiking the trail to the arch, hikers get views of the landscape and sandstone walls surrounding the area. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Rugged Terrain: A pinon tree hangs on for life as the roots attempt to grab the rugged terrain near the La Ventana Natural Arch. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Sandstone Cliff: A sandstone cliff towers above the trail near the natural arch. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Arch: A different view of La Ventana Natural Arch shows more detail of the arch formation and the nearby canyon wall. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com