Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

Although you can certainly appreciate wilderness from afar—online, on television, or in books—first-hand experiences in nature such as campng or hunting enable you to enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas provide. Wilderness areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” opportunities to see wildlife, a chance to renew and refresh, and the health benefits of exercising outside. You can even bring your well-behaved dog to many wilderness areas.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Historically, several human cultures have tried to carve a living from Ojito’s resources. Although there are several types of ruins within the area, including those of the Puebloan, Navajo, and Hispanic cultures, few historic records exist concerning their lives here. The rugged terrain, rocky soils, and scarce water supply must have made their daily lives very difficult. The ruins and artifacts left by these residents are the clues that archeologists use to tell the story of their existence here. They should be left undisturbed where you find them so future visitors can also enjoy them, and future archeologists can study them. Archeological remains are protected by the Archeological Resources Protection Act and other laws.

Fossil remains of rare dinosaurs, plants, and trees have been discovered in Ojito. They are found in the Jurassic-age Morrison Formation (about 150 million years old). The erosion process has exposed large segments of petrified trees and the bones of huge dinosaurs, including one of the largest dinosaur skeletons ever discovered – that of a Seismosaurus. A 0.7 mile trail (the Seismosaurus Trail) will lead you to the site where this skeleton was once excavated. Because these fossil remains of plants and animals provide important information about life during this period it is important that, like the archeological remains, they are left undisturbed until they can be collected and studied by professional paleontologists. Collection of these fossils is prohibited by law unless authorized by permit. A second trail, the Hoodoo Trail, crosses some open, cactus-covered ground then runs beneath the east face of Bernalillito Mesa, gaining height gradually and ending at a viewpoint over the wash to the badlands beyond. En route are a number of localized but pretty erosional features, most striking being a beautiful outcrop of teepee-shaped mounds of yellow Dakota sandstone, crossed by thin, delicate pinkish-red layers. One U-shaped passage between two of the cones is reminiscent of the Wave in Arizona. Not far beyond this is a nice group of flat-topped hoodoos. Rocks in the cliffs higher up also have nice colors and forms, and other small pockets of hoodoos (and petrified wood) can be found all around the mesa.

Three rare plant species - grama grass cactus, Knight’s milkvetch, and Townsend’s aster are found in Ojito. New Mexico’s lowest elevation stands of Ponderosa pines are in Ojito, far below where pines usually grow. Elevations in this Wilderness range from 5,600 to 6,200 feet. The area provides nesting habitat for birds of prey, swifts and swallows. Other wildlife species that call Ojito home include various reptiles, mule deer, elk, American antelope, and the mountain lion.

General Trip Planning Information

This is an arid landscape without available surface water.

From Bernalillo, travel on U.S. 550 about 21 miles (about 2 miles before San Ysidro) turning left onto Cabezon Road (County Road 906). Follow the left fork approximately 9 1/4 miles to an Ojito Wilderness sign. Continue almost 3/4 mile to the Seismosaurus Trailhead on the left. A trail leads north, across the road and through a fence, into the Wilderness. Continue another 3/4 mile to the Hoodoo Trailhead on the left side of the road. From the parking area, walk back about 400 feet to the east where a trail leads north into the Wilderness on the opposite side of the road.

Recreational Opportunities

There are two hiking trails in the Wilderness: the Seismosaurus Trail and Hoodoo Trail provide the most frequented access for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, and wildlife observation. These activities are but a few available which can be enjoyed without a permit. Primitive camping is also allowed, but permits are required for some uses (e.g., outfitting/guiding, group activities). Steep canyons and high rugged cliffs, with elevations from 5,600 to 6,200 feet, provide rewarding challenges for the back-country hiker. Deep meandering arroyos also offer miles of terrain in which to wander. Rock layers in the canyon walls and cliffs enhance sightseeing and photography, especially when exposed to the sun’s direct rays at dawn and dusk. Hunting is permitted within the wilderness. Hunting regulations are written and enforced by the State. The Ojito Wilderness is located within New Mexico Big Game Management Unit 9.

Climate and Special Equipment Needs

Access roads in the area are passable during dry weather but they can get slippery and rutted during wet seasons, normally spring, late summer, and winter.

Safety and Current Conditions

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 don't usually work in this remote areas; let someone know your plans. Water is rare in this dry land and no water is available at most times. Bring plenty of water.