# El Malpais Backcountry

**Location:** Grants, NM | **Difficulty:** Easy | **Length:** 45+ miles

**GPS:** 34.8234, -107.9567

**Vehicle requirements:** Stock high-clearance 4WD or AWD with all-terrain tires. No lift or lockers required.

**Best season:** Year-round

Backcountry roads through New Mexico's volcanic lava fields. Ancient lava flows, ice caves, sandstone bluffs, and Native American ruins create a landscape unlike anywhere else in the Southwest.

**Region:** Southwest • **Trail type:** Hidden Gem • **Rating:** 4.4/5

**Highlights:** Lava fields, Ice caves, Sandstone bluffs, Native ruins, Unique geology

**Nearby campgrounds:**
- [El Morro Campground (Ramah, New Mexico)](https://4x4playground.com/camping/new-mexico/el-morro-campground)

Canonical page: https://4x4playground.com/overlanding/trails/el-malpais-backcountry