Grulla National Wildlife Refuge lies on the open plains of eastern New Mexico near Arch, with a small portion extending into western Texas. Its central feature is a shallow saline playa known on modern maps as Salt Lake, historically also called DZ Lake and Arch Lake, which fills after heavy rains and can later evaporate completely. Named from the Spanish word for crane, the refuge provides habitat for sandhill cranes when water is present, while its surrounding grasslands support ring-necked pheasants, lesser prairie-chickens, and scaled quails. Lightly developed with only trails and parking, it is administered by Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.