The Mesa de Cuba Badlands are located approximately two hours from Albuquerque in northwestern New Mexico (in Sandoval County) southwest of the village of Cuba. They are often considered one of the nine San Juan Basin Badlands. These badlands wind along the base of the Mesa de Cuba, which stretches for 10 miles north to south. In some places, the mesa towers hundreds of feet above. The washes (canyons) twist and turn leading from the plain deep into the mesa. The route is lined with petrified wood and car-sized to house-sized boulders. Unlike the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah badlands, there is lots of vegetation; primarily pinon and juniper. Every canyon seems to contain some new, exotic formation.
Photo count: 21
Blog: The Story of New Mexico: The Mesa de Cuba Badlands
Posted: February 25, 2012
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