Place guide
La Ventana Arch
One of New Mexico's largest natural arches, an easy short walk from a paved pullout near the El Malpais lava fields.
📍GPS: 34.869173, -107.889001
La Ventana is a 125-foot sandstone arch, spanning the sandstone bluffs that border El Malpais’ lava flows. It’s a quick roadside stop that requires almost no effort to see, you can be standing under it within minutes of pulling off the highway.
What to Do
From the paved parking area, a short path leads about a quarter mile to the base of the arch. A fence prevents you from getting up close to the arch itself which makes it challenging to see it in its entirety. For best results, visit later in the day, when the sun is shining on the arch and shadows give the opening depth. There isn’t much else to do on site beyond taking it in and reading the interpretive signage.
How Much Time to Spend
Fifteen to thirty minutes covers it. This is a quick-stop attraction, easily combined with Sandstone Bluffs Overlook a few miles up the same road.
Getting There
La Ventana sits directly off NM 117, part of the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, about 18 miles south of I-40 Exit 89. The turnoff and parking area are well marked and paved, with accessible parking spaces and restrooms at the trailhead.
La Ventana is about as easy as New Mexico’s natural wonders get, Just pull over and look up!
Nearby places
Sandstone Bluffs
A drive-up overlook in with views of black lava flows, mesas, and distant volcanic terrain.
El Malpais National Monument
A dramatic volcanic landscape of lava flows, lava tube caves, cinder cones, and ancient Pueblo trails.
Grants
A Route 66 town once known as the uranium capital of the world, gateway to El Malpais.