Valley of Fires

Valley of Fires recreation area is located immediately adjacent to the Malpais Lava Flow. Approximately 5,000 years ago, Little Black Peak erupted and flowed 44 miles into the Tularosa Basin, filling the basin with molten rock. The resulting lava flow is 4 to 6 miles wide, 160 feet thick and covers 125 square miles. The lava flow is one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States. From a distance, Valley of Fires looks like barren rock, but as you walk through the nature trail you'll see many varieties of flowers, cacti, trees and bushes typical of the Chihuahuan desert. Animals include bats, roadrunners, quail, cottontails, mule deer, barberry sheep, and lizards. It's also a birdwatcher's paradise, with the chance great horned owls, burrowing owls, turkey vultures, hawks, gnat catchers, cactus wrens, sparrows and golden eagles.