Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Photos

Attempts were made in the 1970s to give Wilderness status to the Bisti, the De-Na-Zin, and the Ah-shi-sle-pah badlands. Compromise resulted in Ah-shi-sle-pah being given status as a Wilderness Study Area. Happily, these decades later, Ah-shi-sle-pah is finally an actual Wilderness.

I took seven trips here in 2010 looking for a rock that was not there! The “King of Wings,” a very large overhanging rock hoodoo, was a New Mexico badlands closely guarded secret, location known to only a few small groups of folks and lusted over by others both in the states, and in Europe. My name appeared on a German internet forum and some supposed me to be part of the “conspiracy.” I told them the truth—I didn’t know exactly where the thing was. What I did not say was that a guy in the four corners area had told me that the King of Wings was in Ah-shi-sle-pah.

Well, it isn’t. I should know, having hiked the place from side to side and end to end. The “King” turned out to be in the greater Ah-shi-sle-pah area but not in the wilderness itself. But the things I found while looking! Most explorers keep on the near side of the valley but there’s a lot more over there, half a mile away. This is one of those places which reward you for persistence. The location is remote and windswept, and I never stayed overnight. No sunrise or morning photos were an unfortunate result!

Some of these photos are also in my New Mexico Badlands and More New Mexico Badlands galleries but there are lots of new ones here.