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 96, proceed through La Jara and Regina. When NM 96 turns 90 degrees to the right (east), continue ahead (north) for 1.67 miles, turn left on County 391 (not marked). This is a dirt road in decent shape (it serves gas wells in the area); in about 2.3 miles you will be at the south end of San Jose Badlands.  There are multiple two-tracks in the area; for our parking place, check the GPS track or the screen shot above (we drove in on the road entering from the left edge of the screenshot and parked near a gas wellhead).

The Hike

We used the ASCHG hike as a guide for our hike (see reference link below), ‘tho we didn’t follow it precisely nor did we go as far as that hike.  Rounding the end of the ridge north of where we parked, the badlands came into view – a tall and steep hillside on our left punctuated with many hoodoos situated on the slope and atop the ridges.  There are -so- many such formations, small and large – just the stimulation of the features of these badlands was enough to wear us out by the end of the hike; review the photos below to see for yourself (until you visit there).

The terrain is relatively flat and level and the surface in most areas is hard and smooth, although there are areas covered by a scattering of 1/2″ to 1″ dark brown to black loose rocks which sometimes makes walking a bit “slippery”.  We followed the lower edge of the ridges for about 2 miles, where we found ourselves on a 2-track about 1 3/4 miles along.  Continuing on the two track we descended into the northeastern part of San Jose, the only significant elevation change on our hike.  ASCHG explored this lower area, but we chose to look down upon it from a high point – from that vantage point the terrain appeared to be much more challenging.  After our mid-hike break with the light lunch that Pat prepares, we headed back to the truck following 2-tracks.

Highlight

In addition to the geologic features (hoodoos, etc.) there were so many interesting colors and patterns in the surface of the ground and features.  The layers laid down in ancient times are evident in the grays, reds, and browns in the strata visible on the slopes of the ridges.  And water is the sculptor of the shapes, from the large hoodoos to small features: in some cases water created vertical patterns of carved out material; in other cases on more level terrain it created a sharply lumpy array of small pillars; and out on level terrain leaving 1″ to 2″ rocks “high and dry”, sitting atop pedestals, the surrounding soil washed away (sort of like miniature hoodoos).  I’ve tried to capture these features in the “Ground Shots” photo gallery below. 

Reviewing GoogleEarth, there is much more to explore in these San Jose Badlands.

Statistics

Total Distance:  3.89 miles
Elevation: start  7,384 ft, maximum  7,427 ft,  minimum  7,282 ft
Gross gain:  145 ft.  Aggregate ascending  474 ft, descending  474 ft
Maximum slope: 20% ascending, 23% descending, 3.8% average
Duration: 4:17

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

New Mexico Magazine: Badlands Walkabout
The American Southwest:
     San Juan Basin Badlands (an overview description) 
     Map of San Juan Basin Badlands
ASCHG: San Jose Badlands Hike
Mike Spieth: Badlands of New Mexico
PhotoTrek New Mexico: San Jose Badlands 1st
Sehrer’s Place – US Hikes: San Jose Badlands [San Juan Basin]
     (Geman Visitors, in German)
Westernlady’s World: San Jose Badlands, NM (also German)

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Georg's Photos - Ground Shots: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

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 via the same road that we use for Mesa Penistaja, except that we turn to the left onto a two-track that leads to an abandoned oil/gas wellhead. 

The Hike

From parking, the first leg is north proceeding up an arroyo towards the edge of Ceja Pelón Mesa.  We proceeded west along the base of the mesa, finding many interesting examples of petrified wood, from small “shavings” up to complete logs.  The latter were typically partially buried, with the exposed log showing signs of gradual disintegration.  About a mile into the hike, we chose to ascend up on top of the Mesa, one of the few places we could get to the top. 

Once on top we had marvelous views in all four directions; particularly interesting were the volcanic necks visible on the horizon to the south, in the Rio Puerco valley.  Prominent was Cabezon, but also Cerro Cuate and others as well as Mesa Prieta; and on the far horizon the Sandia Mountains.  And to the east the Nacimiento and Jemez Mountains.  We found more petrified wood and logs atop the mesa as well as a variety of most interesting rock formations.  We found a nice pinon tree for shade for our mid-hike break, with a fabulous view across the Badlands, the aforementioned Rio Puerco features, and Mesa Chivato & Mount Taylor.

Finishing up, we retraced our route along the top of the Mesa, continuing eastward (following the route from ASCHG) to descend back to the floor of the Badlands and back to the truck.  Simply another wonderful day in the Land of Enchantment.

Statistics

Total Distance:  3.69 miles
Elevation: start  6,919 ft, maximum  7,240 ft,  minimum  6,919 ft
Gross gain:  321 ft.  Aggregate ascending  615 ft, descending  614 ft
Maximum slope: 36% ascending, 25% descending, 5% average
Duration: 5:37

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

New Mexico Magazine: Badlands Walkabout
     Directory of the 5 badlands near Cuba, NM
PhotoTrek New Mexico:  San Juan Basin Badlands
The American Southwest:
     San Juan Basin Badlands     
    Map of the San Juan Basin Badlands       
    Ceja Pelón Mesa
AllTrails: Caja Pelón
Living Wonderously: Enchanted Excursion
Two Swiss Hikers: Ceja Pelón Mesa
Jim Caffrey Images Photo Blog: The Other Badlands
Arthouse Photography: New Mexico Badlands: Ceja Pelón in color

George's Photos Click Here for slide show.

1 2 ►

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 would allow us to drive closer to the heart of the Mesa (see the DriveOut link below).  ‘Tis an OK two-track for a high-clearance vehicle, when it is dry. 

The Hike

Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line).

Finding an spot for easy crossing of the fence took us down the fenceline on a continuation of the two-track for a third of a mile – found a first wire that permitted a crawl through. Then an easy walk towards the destination – a circular gallery that looked quite interesting on GoogleEarth.  As we entered the ravine (or canyon) going into the gallery we found ourselves proceeding quite slowly, attracted to look closely at the plethora of petrified wood, to take photos, to marvel at the variety of colors, shapes, and patterns, and to occasionally look up at the horizon which is itself fascinating.

The two and one half hours spent in this gallery went by quickly.  We found “woodchip piles”, sections of tree trunks, even a piece that we could only conclude was petrified with it’s bark still in place.  Most had the striations typical of the grain in any wood.  We found end pieces that showed clearly the growth rings.  In some areas the pieces were very black; made us wonder if those pieces were on their way to becoming coal.  It came time for our mid-hike coffee break – we found a perfect location under a ponderosa tree surrounded by pinon, juniper, and even oak trees/bushes.  From there we made a direct line back to the truck (thanks to navigation by GPS) and found another spot in the fence to crawl under.  We didn’t go a great distance, but more time than usual – a great outing.

Statistics

Total Distance:  2.20 miles
Elevation: start  7,012 ft, maximum  7,049 ft,  minimum  6,980 ft
Gross gain:  69 ft.  Aggregate ascending  281 ft, descending  271 ft
Maximum slope: 20% ascending, 23% descending, 4.1% average
Duration: 4:02

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

The American Southwest:
     San Juan Basin Badlands     
     Map of the San Juan Basin Badlands Phototrek
New Mexico: Badlands Treasure Troves: Fossils and Petrified Wood
listofjohn: Map of the area centered on our Gallery
Jim Caffrey Images Photo Blog: The Other Badlands
Other references on the Journal Entry Mesa Penistaja – 04/07/2018

Pat's Photos: Click Here for slide show.

George's Photos: Click Here for slide show.