ALL ABOUT THE SAN JUAN BASIN BADLANDS

LINKS TO GEOLOGY AND RECREATION NFORMATION, PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, MAPS, IMAGES, AND MORE

The San Juan Basin Badlands with their endless hoo doo gardens and petrified forests are a 100% New Mexico phenomenon. Our planet has no other places like these in such abundance. After 47 countries worth of outdoor adventures and photography including trekking in Nepal, Kashmir, Thailand, New Zealand, Tasmania, Greenland , Iceland, Peru and Costa Rica, and hiking and climbing in Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Scotland, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Bali, Cook Islands, Kenya, Australia’s Red Center, Mongolia’s Gobi desert, the Baja, and all over the American west including Hawaii and Alaska, I don’t say this lightly.

Besides the dramatic rock forms, interesting geology and earth history to ponder, there’s the sheer fun of cross country hiking through these gigantic mazes. They resemble a combination amusement park and obstacle course. You’re traveling through a Georgia O’Keefe painting or a Dr. Seuss book or some sci-fi movie set always finding something new and strange. The constantly changing terrain requires route finding, scrambling and climbing to reach exceptional formations.

THE LINKS BELOW ACCESS DIVERSE INFORMATION TO HELP YOU LEARN ABOUT, EXPLORE AND ENJOY THE 9 BADLANDS FEATURED ON THIS SITE.

1 BADLANDS OVERVIEW - The best place to start learning about the badlands. Text based on my January 2007 article in New Mexico Magazine along with a photo tour, location map, and geologic maps.

2 GEOLOGY OF THE BADLANDS - Information about the processes, geohistory, sedimentary rocks, and fossils that have resulted in these amazing natural sculpture exhibits, including maps, diagrams, and photos.

3 INDIVIDUAL BADLANDS - Orientation information and 9 links to individual badland pages which offer extensive information and photo tours on each badland

4 PHOTOGRAPHING THE BADLANDS - Photographic techniques, gear, and strategies along with sample images to help you record and celebrate these amazing rock forms and landscapes.

5 BADLANDS RECREATIONAL TIPS - Helpful hiking and camping information concerning finding and protecting these unique recreational resources

6 BADLANDS GRAND PHOTOGRAPHIC TOUR - A selection of photos from all the individual badlands photo tours, which can be viewed by selecting individual thumbnails or downloading the slide show.

7 LOCATION MAP - Shows the locations of the 9 badlands along US Highway 550 with links to their individual home pages

8 GEOLOGY MAP - Shows each badland located in it’s color coded geologic layer or “formation”