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| A variety of plants flourish in the 5000-year-old Carrizozo Malpais Lava Flow north of Alamogordo, New Mexico. BLM photo. |
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| Malpais Nature Trail aerial map. Click for larger version. |
The 0.9-mile Malpais Nature Trail loops through a small part of the 125-square-mile lava field. Sometimes the trail is referred to on maps and guides as the Valley of Fires Nature Trail.
To reach the trailhead, from Alamogordo, N.M., take U.S. Hwys. 54/70 north. When the highways split, continue north on Hwy. 54. At Carrizozo, turn left/northwest onto U.S. Hwy. 380. Valley of Fires is on the left in about 4 miles.
The trail starts at the group shelter on the northwest side of the park road. A paved trail, it features interpretive displays and has a handy guide brochure.
Pahoehoe
Before entering the lava field, the trail rises slightly to a sighting tube. Looking through it, you’ll see Little Black Peak, the spot where the flow likely began some 5000 years ago.
Lava pumped out from that vent flowed some 44 miles across the Tularosa Basin. Ranging from 4 to 6 miles wide, the Carrizozo Malpais Lava Flow is as thick as 160 feet.
Continuing the trail toward the lava flow, in 0.13 miles, you’ll reach the loop’s start. Go straight/southwest to take the loop clockwise. In short order, you’ll enter the lava field, a vast sprawl of black rock.
The lava flowed here in long, slow ropes called pahoehoe. Jagged blocks of lava, called a’a (pronounced ah-ah), also appear but are less common than pahoehoe.
Watch for large holes along the trail. When lava flowed here, these were the location of gas bubbles that collapsed as the surface cooled.
Flora and fauna
Plants and animals do thrive on the lava field. Bae grass, banana yucca, creosote, hedgehog cactus, mesquite, prickly pear cactus, sotol, walking stick cholla, and more – all common in the surrounding scrubland of the Chihuahuan Desert – have taken root in the flow’s fissures and holes.
Living among these plants are desert cottontail rabbits, lizards, and various rodents, many of which have developed dark coloration as camouflage. Looking to make a meal of these creatures, a variety of birds circle in the air including golden eagles, great horned owls, harriers, ravens, red-tailed and Swainson’s hawks, and turkey vultures
Other common birds in the lava flats are burrowing owls, cactus wrens, gnat catchers, quail, roadrunners, sparrows and towhees. Larger animals include barberry sheep and mule deer.
Lava tubes
On the loop’s northeast side is collapsed rock that probably was a lava tube at one time. These tubes formed when molten rock flowed beneath a surface of cool, hardened lava. Though not on the trail, there are eight intact lava tubes near Little Black Peak; four types of bats now roost in those “caves.”
As the trail reaches the desert scrubland’s edge, look for lava that curls back like a wave. Called Kipuka, it formed when the lava flow hit a “shore” of higher ground, where the dirt and sandstone rock was cooler.
When the loop reaches the stem trail, go left/northeast back to the group shelter.
When walking this trail, be sure to take it slowly so you don’t trip. The lava is as sharp as broken glass and will cut you or your clothing as hit the ground. In addition, there’s no shade at all on the trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat as well as bring plenty of water.
