Valley of Fires Recreation Area

Valley of Fires Recreation Area is located immediately adjacent to the Malpais Lava Flow, four miles west of Carrizozo, New Mexico, on US Highway 380. Approximately 5,000 years ago, Little Black Peak erupted and flowed 44 miles into the Tularosa Basin, filling it with molten rock. The resulting lava flow is four to six miles wide, 160 feet thick, covers 125 square miles, and is considered one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States. Valley of Fires offers both camping and day use, with RV camping (full-service and primitive), tent camping, and group shelters. Thirteen campsites have 30- and 50-amp electrical hookups and water hookups; all sites have picnic shelters, tables, trash cans, and barbeque grills, with tent pads in the tent camping area, pedestal grills, and campfire rings at most sites. Two of the RV sites are accessible, as are the restrooms. A shower house with flush toilets is centrally located within the campground, and accessible vault toilets and water spigots are scattered throughout. An RV dump station is available, open 7 AM to 7 PM, with other times arranged through the camp host. Two group shelters are wheelchair accessible and available for rental. A bookstore and gift shop offers information on the recreation area, wildlife, and nearby activities, along with stuffed animals, books, and other keepsakes. The 3/4-mile Malpais Nature Trail offers a close-up look at the lava surface. It is paved and accessible, and wildlife is commonly seen on or from the trail during the warm months, especially in the early morning and late evening. The interpretive signage along this trail and at the hilltop vista has been updated with photos and artwork about the lava flow, its inhabitants, and the surrounding area. The Kipuka Trail is the newest addition. This gentle dirt path meanders through the interior of the "Kipuka," an island of soil and vegetation encircled by the lava flow. Starting at the Visitor Center and ending at the southern edge of the recreation area, this out-and-back trail spans over a mile, or 2 1/4 miles if you walk it back to the start. Where the Malpais Nature Trail offers an up-close view of the ecosystems flourishing in volcanic rock, the Kipuka Trail takes visitors off the concrete path and into the diverse wildlife of the Chihuahuan Desert. Take sunscreen and plenty of water, and watch for rattlesnakes, which are sometimes seen along the path during the warmer months. A Junior Ranger activity book for young adventurers is available at the bookstore. From a distance, Valley of Fires appears as barren rock, but walk the nature trail and you will find many varieties of flowers, cactus, trees, and bushes typical of the Chihuahuan desert. Animals include bats, roadrunners, quail, cottontails, mule deer, barbary sheep, and lizards. It is also a virtual birdwatcher's paradise, with great horned owls, burrowing owls, turkey vultures, hawks, gnat catchers, cactus wrens, sparrows, and golden eagles. Nearby, Capitan sits 24 miles east on U.S. Highway 380 and is known as the birthplace of Smokey Bear; Lincoln, 37 miles east, is famous for the Lincoln County Wars and the exploits of Billy the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett; and Ruidoso is a resort town with a horse racetrack, the Ski Apache resort, and a casino. The BLM's Fort Stanton National Conservation Area lies approximately 27 miles east, with miles of horseback, mountain biking, and hiking trails winding through open meadows and canyons and views of the Sacramento and Capitan Mountains. Campgrounds in the Lincoln National Forest and the BLM's Rob Jaggers Campground are also nearby.