Explore Sandstone Bluffs Overlook

Sandstone Bluffs offers an amazing view over one of the youngest lava flows in the continental U.S. - the 2500 to 3900 year old McCarty's Lava Flow. Explore the bluffs for different views of El Malpais and the surrounding areas. To the northeast, you can see the tall peak of Mount Taylor, a 3 million year old extinct stratovolcano and the second highest mountain in New Mexico. To the west, the ancient Zuni Mountains made of rocks up to 1.7 billion years old form the skyline above the much younger lavas of El Malpais. To the southwest, spot the distinctive cinder cones of the Chain of Craters, a line of volcanoes that predate the 60,000 year history of eruptions of El Malpais. Far below you, the dark basalt of El Malpais lavas flow across the valley creating a vast volcanic wilderness. Under your feet, examine the beautiful sandstones of the bluffs that formed during the late Cretaceous when dinosaurs walked the earth. If you're feeling adventurous, feel free to explore the bluffs, but be aware of steep dropoffs. Keep an eye out for tinajas - depressions in the sandstone that may be filled with water and tiny macroinvertebrate insects. Also watch for ravens and birds of prey enjoying the thermal uplifts over the bluffs.