Ojito

Ojito Wilderness https://www.blm.gov/visit/ojito-wilderness-area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ojito_Wilderness The Ojito Wilderness is a desert landscape of steep-sided mesas, rocky terraces, retreating escarpments, box canyons, deep meandering arroyos, and austere badlands. Bands of multi-colored shale, sandstone, and limestone draw attention to cliff sides. Occasional badland settings, with their unusual hoodoos (weathered rock in the form of pinnacles, spires, cap rocks, and other unusual forms), accent the landscape. Piñon and juniper are dotted throughout the Wilderness, and rare stands of ponderosa pine can be found tucked into shady recesses.

£ ¤ 4 s r Oj it o W SA 550 Ojito Wilderness £ ¤ 550 Ojito Wilderness d nR zo be a C line ite Wh e Pip H m Seis l i Tra oo d oo ils Tra r osau i ke eB ra us T g Rid il Rd Las Milpas Rd Cabezon Rd Legend WhiteRidge Trails Parking Difficulty, Trail Type Beginner, Double Track Ojito Wilderness Portal Sign Moderate, Single Track Roads Moderate, Double Track Trail Difficult, Single Track Wilderness Study Area (WSA) Difficult, Double Track Wilderness Area Severe, Single Track Zia Lands held in Trust by BIA for Public Use (No Shooting) Severe, Double Track Bureau of Land Management Private State Tribal 0 0.25 0.5 1 Miles BLM/NM/GI-06-08-1220 1:32,000 Bureau of Land Management Albuquerque District Rio Puerco Field Office 100 Sun Ave., N.E. Pan American Bldg., Suite 330 Albuquerque, NM 87109 505/761-8700 or www.blm.gov/new-mexico In case of emergency: BLM Rio Puerco Law Enforcement – 505/761-8700 Immediate Emergency – 911 BLM 24-hour Santa Fe Law Enforcement – 505/827-9377 For interactive maps and more detailed information about this area please go to www.blm.gov/new-mexico/rio-puerco-kiosk £ ¤ 550 Welcome to the Ojito Wilderness! “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” -Henry David Thoreau An hour northwest of Albuquerque is the Ojito Wilderness, a high desert landscape of wide open spaces and exceptional beauty. This area of steep-sided mesas, remote box canyons, meandering arroyos, and austere badlands offers solitude, tranquility, and escape from the congestion of the city. The Ojito Wilderness Act of 2005 permanently protects over 11,000 acres of scenic wilderness as a promise to the future that there will always be places to find beauty and renewal. Once part of a vast river channel and floodplain complex that was eventually inundated by inland seas, the Ojito Wilderness boasts world-renowned fossils—dinosaurs, trees, plants, and marine invertebrates. Erosion has over time exposed the bones of huge dinosaurs, large segments of petrified trees, as well as leaves and seashells. Because these fossils provide significant information about ancient life, it is important that they are left undisturbed until they can be collected by professional paleontologists. Collecting fossils in wilderness is prohibited by law unless authorized by a permit issued to a qualified researcher. Several human cultures have tried to carve a living from Ojito’s sparse resources, including the Ancestral Puebloan, Navajo, and Hispanic cultures. The rugged terrain, rocky soils, and scarce water supply may have contributed to a difficult life. The prehistoric and historic ruins and artifacts left by these inhabitants are the clues that archaeologists use to tell the story of existence here. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act and other laws protect both ruins and artifacts. Please leave them undisturbed for others to enjoy, and for future archeologists to study. Ojito’s south and west boundaries are accessible by dirt road. Always know where you are traveling and where you have been because it’s easy to get lost in the hundreds of miles of dirt roads surrounding Ojito. ACTIVITIES The steep canyons and rugged cliffs of Ojito can provide rewarding challenges to experienced hikers, but even novices can enjoy this spectacular area by venturing just a short distance from the road. Deep meandering arroyos offer miles of terrain in which to wander. Visitors can enjoy wildlife viewing and bird watching, as well as horseback riding, sightseeing, and photography. Rock layers in the canyon walls and cliffs enhance all of these activities, especially when exposed to the sun’s rays at dawn and dusk. PLANNING YOUR TRIP There are no facilities within or adjacent to the Ojito Wilderness. The Village of San Ysidro, approximately ten miles away, offers the closest facilities and services. Backpacking and primitive camping are allowed, and do not require a permit. Permits are, however, required for commerical guiding, outfitting and filming as well as educational and organized groups. Permit applications are available at the BLM office in Albuquerque and on-line at blm.gov. Hunting, managed by the New Mexico State Department of Game and Fish, is allowed within the Ojito Wilderness. Ojito is located within New Mexico Big Game Management Unit 9. LOCATION/ACCESS From Albuquerque, travel north on I-25 approximately 16 miles and exit on U.S. 550 (second Bernalillo exit). From Santa Fe, travel south on I-25 approximately 40 miles to U.S. 550 (first Bernalillo exit). Travel northwest on U.S. 550 about 20 miles toward Cuba. About 2 miles before San Ysidro, turn left onto Cabezon Road (County Road 906) and follow the left fork 10 miles to the Ojito Wilderness sign. The Ojito Wilderness is a roadless area that visitors must accept on its own terms. Visitors are responsible for their own safety and must be prepared to take care of themselves. Cell phones often don’t work; let someone know your plans.

Alien Run Mountain Bike Trails NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO The 7,242-acre wilderness is in a badland area of rolling, water-carved clay hills. The area, rich in fossils, has yielded numerous specimens important to science. Alien Run Mountain Bike Trails Ojito Wilderness Alien Run consists of three looped mountain bike trails that cover more than 26 miles. The original loop and the Outer Limits Trail encircle a rumored UFO crash site. The trail features swooping flow trail, rim riding, slickrock sections, and tight turns through the piñon-juniper woodland. The Alien Run Outer Limits extension features rocky climbs and plunging downhills. The trail is known for including one of the largest selections of slickrock in New Mexico. Deep, meandering arroyos offer miles of terrain in which to wander amid canyons, cliffs, and some colorful geological formations. Summer monsoon rains often provide just enough rain to make this area flourish with blooming desert plants. Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Angel Peak Scenic Area Within this 10,000-acre area rises the scenic Angel Peak, at nearly 7,000 feet. A short nature trail leads to an overlook of blue and gray shale badlands formed from floodplains of ancient rivers. Angel Peak has three picnic areas with ADA accessible toilets. The campground has nine sites available for tent camping. There are ADA accessible restrooms. No drinking water or electrical hookups are available. Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness A favorite with photographers for its hoodoo formations, the wilderness is a remote, desolate area of steeply eroded and colorful badlands. Time and natural elements have created strange rock formations here and some of the most extraordinary scenery in New Mexico. Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area More than 800 acres are available for off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts in this sand dune area. Glade Run Recreation Area The Glade Run Recreation Area offers many miles of motorized and nonmotorized trails through piñon-juniper woodland with sandstone bluffs, sandy arroyos, and badlands. Jeeps, utility-type vehicles (UTVs), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes, mountain bikes, equestrians, and hikers will all find a place to play. Ten designated campsites are available at the Brown Springs Campground, which has shelters, picnic tables, campfire rings, two vault toilets, a group shelter with large grill, and a tot lot track for kids on dirt bikes or ATVs. Designated and dispersed camping in the recreation area requires a free permit from the BLM. The recreation area is known for its national class rock crawling, having hosted the Grand Nationals Rock Crawling Championships for many years. The oldest continuously held mountain bike race in the United States, the Road Apple Rally, also takes place here. Details are available in site descriptions or on the map side charts. Bring plenty of water for you and your pet. Many BLM sites do not offer facilities or drinking water. NM Statewide Recreation Brochure BLM/NM/GI-19/006+8000 Looking for a map, book, permit, or recommendation to explore your public lands? Visit the Public Lands Information Center at the BLM’s New Mexico State Office; 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508. Call (505) 954-2002 or (877) 276-9404 (toll free), or visit www.publiclands.org. Head Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area Follow us on: www.facebook.com/blmnewmexico www.facebook.com/blmlascruces www.youtube.com/blmnewmexico www.flickr.com/photos/blmnewmexico www.twitter.com/blmnewmexico Bureau of Land Management BLM New Mexico State Office 301 Dinosaur Trail Santa Fe, NM 87508 (505) 954-2000 www.blm.gov/new-mexico/recreation In the “Land of Enchantment,” the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees outdoor recreation and many other activities on more than 13 million acres of public land. New Mexico’s public lands are diverse, encompassing high deserts, rugged lava flows, badlands, deep canyons, wild and scenic rivers, wilderness, and other distinctive landscapes. The majority of BLM-managed public land is open for recreational use, and opportunities abound for hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, horseback riding, off-roading, and other activities. The BLM also manages National Conservation Lands (NCLs), public lands with exceptional qualities. These special areas are managed to conserve and protect nationally significant landscapes recognized for their outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values. They also contain some of New Mexico’s most spectacular landscapes. New Mexico’s NCL units include four national monuments; two national conservation areas; three national scenic and historic trails; two wild and scenic rivers; 18 wilderness areas; and 47 wilderness study areas (WSAs). Those WSAs with legal public access are listed at the end of each mapback section. WSAs are places that are characterized by “naturalness” and that Congress is considering designating and protecting as wilderness—places that offer outstanding opportuni