Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Gallery

Attempts were made in the 1970's to give Wilderness status to the Bisti, the De-Na-Zin, and the Ah-shi-sle-pah. Compromize 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, from end to end. The "King" turned out to be in the greater Ah-shi-sle-pah area, but not the wilderness itself. But the things I found while looking! Most hikers keep on the near side of the valley, but there's a lot more over there, half a mile away. There are miles of hoodoo landscapes on each side This is another one of those places which reward you for persistance. The location is remote and windswept, and I never stayed overnight. No sunise or morning photos were an unfortunate result!

Lots of these photos are also in my Badlands of New Mexico and More New Mexico Badlands galleries, but there are many new ones in this gallery.