The West Malpais Wilderness is a landscape of volcanic lava flows, mostly flat, and encompasses three main ecotypes. The southeastern portion of the wilderness is a grassland with wide open expansive views. The western area is a piсon-juniper woodland. Ponderosa pine is prevalent in the northern portion of the Wilderness. The most distinctive landform within the West Malpais Wilderness is a 6,700-acre kipuka (a Hawaiian term meaning island of fertile ground) in the north part of the wilderness called Hole-In-The-Wall. Ponderosa pines are sprinkled through the grassland of the kipuka, which is ringed by a sea of broken, jagged basalt where ponderosa are plentiful. The Wilderness is located within the El Malpais National Conservation Area.

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