El Malpais National Monument, Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano!


El Malpais National Monument
& Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano!

By Rolando Chang Barrero
Travel with Rolando and Adventures with Bella


That was my overwhelming feeling while exploring El Malpais National Monument and nearby Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano in western New Mexico. "El Malpaís" means the badlands, a name early Spanish explorers gave this rugged landscape of ancient lava flows. But after spending a day here, I'd call it anything but "bad."

Millions of years ago, volcanic eruptions transformed this region into a dramatic landscape of black lava rivers, lava tubes, cinder cones, sandstone cliffs, and resilient forests. Today, it's a place where geology, history, and nature come together in spectacular fashion.


One moment you're standing inside a cool volcanic cave looking up through a collapsed skylight at the brilliant New Mexico sky. The next, you're staring into the surreal green waters of the Ice Cave, where ice has persisted year-round for centuries. Then it's back outside to hike across lava fields, admire centuries-old juniper trees twisted into living sculptures, discover the ruins of early homesteads, and marvel at La Ventana Natural Arch, one of the largest natural arches in New Mexico.


Traveling with Bella made the experience even more memorable. While she couldn't enter the cave itself, she was able to join me on many of the surrounding trails, where together we explored this extraordinary volcanic landscape one step at a time.

If you're driving along historic Route 66 or traveling across New Mexico, don't just pass through. Give yourself a full day to experience El Malpais National Monument and Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano.

Sometimes the most beautiful places are born from fire.



#TravelWithRolando #AdventuresWithBella #ElMalpais #IceCave #BanderaVolcano #NationalMonument #NewMexico #Route66 #RoadTripAmerica #Hiking #Geology #NaturePhotography #NationalParks #VolcanicLandscape

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