The best easy visit at El Malpais starts at the Sandstone Bluffs Overlook for the panorama, then drops down to the La Ventana Natural Arch for a short hike to one of the largest sandstone arches in the state. With more time, swing around to the west side for the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano and the cinder-cone hike at El Calderon.
For the more committed: the Zuni-Acoma Trail is a 7.5-mile traverse of the ancient lava flows along a pre-Columbian trade route — hard but unforgettable. Equally serious cavers can pick up a permit at the visitor center for the Big Tubes lava cave system. The youngest lava flow, the McCarty's Flow, is just over 3,000 years old and looks like it cooled yesterday.