El Malpais Wilderness Study Area

The El Malpais WSA consists of several independent tracts of land under consideration for Wilderness designation in conjunction with lands proposed for Wilderness within the El Malpais National Monument (managed by the National Park Service). One tract includes Little Hole-in-the-Wall, a kīpuka (a Hawaiian term meaning island of fertile ground). The kīpuka is surrounded entirely by jagged basalt. This area is covered by piñon-juniper woodlands and open stands of ponderosa pine. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail passes through this WSA.