ICE CAVE AND BANDERA VOLCANO & EL MORRO, GRANTS, NEW MEXICO - APR 12-14, 2025

ICE CAVE AND BANDERA VOLCANO AND EL MORRO, GRANTS, NEW MEXICO

Our next stop was visiting the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano in Grants, New Mexico.  I always try to find some interesting, "off-the-beaten-path" places to visit.  This was one of them.  

Known as "The Land of Fire and Ice." 

Bandera Volcano exploded in volcanic fury some 10,000 years ago. It is one of the finest examples of an erupted cinder cone and lava field in North America.

The Ice Cave is located in a section of Bandera’s collapsed lava tube. The caves temperature never rises above 31ºF year round. The natural layers of ice have been forming for over 3,400 years. It is a natural phenomenon by a combination of physical factors forming a natural ice box; the ice block is at least 20 feet thick. The cave is well insulated due to the porous lava and an opening shaped just right to trap cold air. This causes the continuing generation of new ice as rain water and snow melt seep down to its floor and freeze.

As we walked down the staircase to the cave you could feel the temperature continually dropping. Remember it is below freezing at the bottom.


We were so glad that we decided to check out this place. The owners were so friendly and the twisted trees, lava rocks, caldera and ice cave were marvels to behold. I also bought myself a Dream Catcher, hand-crafted by local Native Americans. It has kept many bad dreams away!

EL MORRO NATIONAL MONUMENT - Apr 13 

While in the area we took a drive to El Morro National Monument. Rising 200 feet above the valley floor, this massive sandstone bluff was a welcome landmark for weary travelers. A reliable waterhole hidden at its base made El Morro (or Inscription Rock) a popular campsite. Beginning in the late 1500s Spaniards, and later Americans, passed by El Morro.  For centuries, those who traveled this trail stopped to camp at the shaded oasis found here. On the rock, they left evidence of their passing -- symbols, names, dates, and fragments of their stories carved in the stone.


We decided to take the Headland Loop 2 mile hiking trail, which also includes seeing Inscription Rock.  There are so many inscriptions and carving, too many to count, and many from the Civil War era.

The Headland Loop takes you to the top of the El Morro bluff.  It was a pretty strenuous trail for us, especially with having the dogs on leashes while navigating.  The trail has a gain of 224 ft of elevation.  There are 132 steps to get to the top, or you can hike the switchbacks.  We hiked the switchbacks which were easier, but some of them hand you walking a narrow path with nothing between you and the edge of the cliff.  With both Steve & I have a fear of heights, it was quite stressful at times.  Ultimately, we had to continue on rather than heading back the way we came, which would have been just as stressful.  We were so glad we decided to continue.  At the top of the bluff, there are two ancestral Puebloan dwellings, one of which is partially excavated. Much of the upper section of the trail is on uneven  sandstone and having good hiking shoes is a must.  It was well worth the heart-pounding experience to see such beautiful landscapes, the dwellings and the sandstone.



Next stop - Homolovi State Park & Winslow, Arizona 

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