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
San Jose Badlands Hike.Pat.2018-11-09
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
| GPS Track Files for Download | |
196 Downloads |
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50 Downloads |
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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)
