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10/28/2024: Hiking in New Mexico now has a new URL: ==NMHiking.com==
Category Archives: Badlands
‘Goblin Mesa’ & Goblin Colony – 04/07/2021
We had no advance plan, but we needed to get out into nature this week. Weather was a bit iffy, forecast to be chilly and windy. We decided to visit an old friend, Goblin Colony, up Paliza Canyon in the … Continue reading
Mesa de Cuba & Penistaja Driveabout – 11/09/2014
I’m writing this in 2019, reaching back to this great outing to explore territory that was new to us at the time. The Drive About Having come across articles about Mesa de Cuba and looking for new places to explore, … Continue reading
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La Mesita Roja & Its Hoodoos – 01/16/2021
Weather was beautiful this day in New Mexico, perfect for returning to the Rio Puerco, and to visit geologic formations that are a favorite of our friend and photographer Pat Barrett. We enjoyed a really good hike and the geologic … Continue reading
San Jose Badlands Hike – 11/09/2018
We’ve so enjoyed visits to other Badlands in the San Juan Basin; we chose this time to visit the San Jose Badlands. The Drive In From Albuquerque, go west on US 550, 5.5 miles beyond Cuba. Turn right on NM … Continue reading
Mesa Chijuilla Expedition – 02/20/2015
Vince and I went ‘wandering’ beyond Mesa de Cuba in the San Juan Badlands. This “expedition” (multiple hikes) began with exploration of the east side of Mesa Chijuilla. We then checked out another area with interesting features some 3 miles … Continue reading
Lybrook Badlands Walkabout – 05/13/2018
After visiting various places in the Ojito Wilderness, then working our way west into the area around Cuba – Mesa de Cuba West, Mesa Penistaja, and Ceja Pelon Mesa, I came upon maps of ‘all’ the badlands, extending all the … Continue reading
Ceja Pelón Mesa Hike – 05/08/2018
This is the next in the string of mesas going west from Mesa de Cuba, after Mesa Chijuilla and Mesa Penistaja. Various sources have described the area as rife with petrified wood – and we were not disappointed. Access is … Continue reading
Mesa Penistaja Hike – 04/22/2018
Headed back to Mesa Penistaja with Pat to take in more of the amazing scenery, geology, and of course the superabundance of petrified wood. The Drive In Chose to take a two-track off of the northbound road (Penistaja Road?) that … Continue reading
Plaza Blanca Expedition – 03/28/2018
This was a road trip combined with a hike in Northern New Mexico. The road trip component was to drive around the perimeter of the Jemez Mountains – San Ysidro, Cuba, Regina, Abiquiú , Española , Santa Fe, and return … Continue reading
Mesa de Cuba West Hike – 03/25/2018
Back to the Cuba area, to explore a small mesa between Mesa de Cuba and Mesa Chijuilla. As I’ve done for other hikes recently, in the absence of a track someone has published, I began by exploring the area on … Continue reading