New Mexico Badlands Photos

These badlands are in northwestern New Mexico, in a roughly circular corner of the Colorado Plateau called the San Juan Basin. From the Jurassic period on, layers of sandstones and shales were deposited, then exposed many millions of years later by uplift, volcanism and erosion. The geology is better explained elsewhere, by someone who knows what he’s talking about Let’s just say that where dinosaurs once criss-crossed ancient swamps and lakes, the land is now criss-crossed by oil and gas company roads. Extraction dominates today’s San Juan Basin, yet in the remaining roadless areas are treasures: the badlands.

What a pleasure it is to drop into these hidden places from the wide open plains around them. They come upon you so suddenly that I have no doubt of the existance of more pockets of hoodoos awaiting discovery. Some have been saved from destruction, like the Ojito Wilderness, the Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness and the Ah-shi-slr-pah Wilderness. Others are guarded secrets shared among hikers and students of photography, geology and paleontology. These are fragile places where walking lightly is a necessity.

Here are some of my photographs of these wonderful places, presented in the hope that others will see the awesomeness of the lands here, and will spread the word: save the badlands! Another coal-fired power plant or strip mine could still be in the dreams of the power companies, further endangering the already degraded air quality in the basin, not to mention the hoodoo lands shot through with seams of coal, ripe for the picking. Yes, we need more and more energy, but it would be far too easy to take these places away from us, for far too little gain. I’ll get off of my soapbox now; come see and learn for yourself.