Navajo Badlands

Issue #161 - Discovering Ah-shi-sle-pah in New Mexico

Driving north from Albuquerque on Highway 550 or south from Bloomfield on Highway 550 (about 25 miles) watch for Route 57 located on the south side of the old and abandoned Blanco Trading Post on the west side of 550. This old building with a yellow sign was once a gas station. Route 57, one of three routes to the badlands of Ah-shi-sle-pah, starts just south of the Trading Post. A sign at the junction will let you know you have found Route #57 and a BLM sign spells out the name of your destination–Ah-shi-sle-pah. A paved road heads into the distance, toward the West. Do not attempt to drive this road if has rained less than a week ago. After 4 miles of broken pavement the road turns to dirt and you will sink into sticky red mud. If weather forecasts predict rain, avoid this road. The eighteen-mile dirt road becomes a muddy nightmare after a rain. Watch for potholes in the paved road. When the pavement ends, a rough dirt road continues along deep tire tracks that have dried into miles of dried ridges, it’s hard to follow these and avoid the potholes. The worst I encountered was two feet deep.

There are many junctions and side roads leading off route #57. DO NOT turn unto any side road with a 4-digit sign, like 2974. Continue following the most heavily-traveled road. Route 57 eventually passes through an opening in a barbed wire fence with a small sign marked Wilderness Study Area. A sign marks the parking area, on the north side of the road. From there it’s about a one-mile walk to the trailhead. The trail drops a few yards into a caldera. Head northeast to find the giant boot where Mr. Flat Rock appears to be wading the San Juan River in new boots.

​From a distance, some areas across the landscape appear to be dark gray. Up-close, these are areas covered with tiny bits of coal, about the size of a pea. Don’t set your gear on the hoodoos and don’t climb on them. Up-close, you will find many fascinating distractions, great subjects for a photographer. The small blocks scattered everywhere, about the size of a candy bar, are petrified wood, over a million-years old, all the same shade of light pinkish gray. Resist the urge to collect anything you find here or you will be haunted by them for the rest of your life. Your camera can preserve their memory.