Hello welcome to El Malpais National Monument, I'm Ranger John.
We're standing at the junction of County Road 42 and Highway 53 the main access route into
the Big Tubes area, one of the remote parts of the monument.
This road is unpaved and can often be difficult to drive in a low clearance vehicle.
The high clearance four-wheel drive pickup behind me here is often a very good
option for traveling these sorts of roads. County Road 42 has a somewhat
ominous yellow warning sign that tells you the dangers that you might encounter
on this road. You always want to check with rangers at our visitor center in
Grants, New Mexico as to what the current conditions are before you venture out on this road.
Let's take a drive down County Road 42 to give you some idea of what
that's like. A vehicle like this one is always a good idea for this kind of trip.
[Sound of bumpy road]
Now that you've had a chance to see what conditions on County Road 42 are like
the ones that we just went through are considered moderate.
Occasionally conditions can be a lot worse than those. The roads can be impassable and very
treacherous with winter snows and summer rains.
Sometimes what happens as you see in this meadow behind me
are people's attempt to go around bad spots in the road.
This often results in massive resource damage like you see here and
can be very costly to fix. Having a tow truck come out here may be a difficult
proposition as they will probably most likely want to wait for conditions to improve.
You could be held liable for any damage that is incurred as your vehicle
is pulled out. Your vehicle may also be left out here for a lengthy period of time.
So, if in doubt wait until conditions improve and always check with
park rangers before you head out on your adventure.
The reward for visiting the Big Tubes area when conditions are favorable is an incredible chance to
visit three lava tube caves, skylights, moss gardens, natural bridges,
and an unforgettable hike on the Bandera Lava Flow.
El Malpais is a wonderland of volcanic features, like the lava flow you
see behind me, the cinder cones, and the lava tubes. Part of enjoying your visit
here is doing it responsibly. Whenever you visit El Malpais have fun, be safe,
and enjoy your visit.