News Release

El Calderon Trail and parking area to close for trail improvement project starting August 11

Date: August 4, 2025
Contact: El Malpais Visitor Center, 505-876-2783

Grants, NM- The El Calderon Trail and parking area at El Malpais National Monument will be closed beginning August 11, 2025, through late May 2026 for a trail improvement project between the parking area and the Bat Cave. There will be no public trail access or parking available at El Calderon for the duration of the project. NPS Road 100 will remain open for local traffic, and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) will remain open for CDT thru-hikers. 

The construction project will include improving the first 0.75 miles of the El Calderon Trail to bring it within Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) standards, making it the only ABA-accessible trail in the monument. The project will also include the installation of an ABA accessible ramp into Junction Bridge Cave, railings at Double Sinks, and bench seating by the Bat Cave. These improvements will make the park’s rocky lava landscape more accessible for all visitors and provide them the opportunity to easily look inside a lava tube cave.  

The final Bat Outflight Guided Hikes of the season will take place August 8 & 9 at 7:00 pm. There will be no access to bat viewing after August 11. During the El Calderon closure, the Zuni-Acoma Trail, 4 miles east of El Calderon on Hwy 53, will remain open sunrise to sunset for hiking and restroom use.  

For more information, contact the El Malpais Visitor Center at 505-876-2783 or visit www.nps.gov/elma. Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/elmalpaisnps.