De-Na-Zin Wilderness with petrified logs

Gary our geologist strider will be leading this one with me. His description is below. Due to the drive (which he says is worth it), this will take most of the day so bring food for snacks and lunch, plenty of water and a hat and sunscreen. Dogs are welcome on leash. We will carpool from the Home Depot and meet in our normal spot on the far side from the sheds.

From Gary:
This hike takes us into the De-Na-Zin Wilderness badlands to see petrified logs as well as other badlands features. Come join us and find out why I LOVE badlands country so much!!! The hike is about 1.5 miles one-way to the petrified logs along a relatively direct route. I tend return in a more circuitous way, so I expect the hike to have a total distance somewhere between 4-5 miles. Very little of the hike follows actual trails, so be prepared for cross-country treks down washes and across open badlands terrain. None of it is very steep or difficult, however we will be cautious since there are many cliffs in the area.

For the geology geeks, we will be wandering through the Paleocene-Cretaceous boundary, though the couple of million years around the iridium spike of this famous boundary that marks the end of the dinosaurs is missing at this location. The petrified logs are held in the Paleocene Ojo Alamo Formation (~70-68 Ma). We will also wander through the badlands above the Ojo Alamo, which are in the Paleocene Nacimiento Formation (65.7-61 Ma). All of these units were deposited by ancient rivers; therefore, it is pretty common to find petrified wood in them. If we’re lucky, we may also see other fossils, but these aren’t as common. As we hike, I can describe some of the things we’re seeing in the geology, if you’re interested.