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El Malpais lava fields with Mount Taylor at 11,305 ft (3,446 m) in the background.

Mount Taylor is the source of the malpais. I took these photos from the trail above the malpais while on a hike in October 2009. Access to the interior of the malpais is closed from October 1st to the end of February each year, so there are no photos from the interior of the malpais. There was a lot of growth on the malpais as compared to when we there in 2000 and years before.  We've been going to the Malpais since the late 1970's.  The area is now El Mapais National Monument. It's located southeast of Grants, NM, about 70 miles west of Albuquerque.

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