Lybrook Fossil Area
Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Black Place”
When traveling north on Highway 550 from Counselor, there is a long stretch of expansive, rolling gray and black hills on the west side of the road. The mud domes have been eroded by wind and rain, forming smooth hills, with a leathered appearance. This was Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Black Place,” a source of inspiration for her from 1936 to 1949. She described the hills as “a mile of elephants,” paying homage to them through a deluge of art spanning 15 years of her career. For example, between 1944-1945, she completed six canvases and nine pencil sketches inspired by the rolling curves of mudstone. I wonder how far she wandered west of those hills, because the treasure trove of hoodoos, convoluted canyons, and colorful cliffs just beyond them is extraordinary.
San Juan Basin
Managed and protected by the Bureau of Land Management, the Lybrook Badlands are part of the San Juan Basin. The basin encompasses numerous fascinating badlands and hoodoo areas, such as Burnham Badlands, the Fossil Forest, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin, Ojito, and Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah wilderness areas, as well as several other smaller areas. Overall, the badlands extend east of the Continental Divide to areas like Plaza Blanca, near Abiquiu. However, most are on the west side on the divide, with the extensive network of arroyos and washes draining into the San Juan river.
When traveling north on Highway 550 from Counselor, there is a long stretch of expansive, rolling gray and black hills on the west side of the road. The mud domes have been eroded by wind and rain, forming smooth hills, with a leathered appearance. This was Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Black Place,” a source of inspiration for her from 1936 to 1949. She described the hills as “a mile of elephants,” paying homage to them through a deluge of art spanning 15 years of her career. For example, between 1944-1945, she completed six canvases and nine pencil sketches inspired by the rolling curves of mudstone. I wonder how far she wandered west of those hills, because the treasure trove of hoodoos, convoluted canyons, and colorful cliffs just beyond them is extraordinary.
San Juan Basin
Managed and protected by the Bureau of Land Management, the Lybrook Badlands are part of the San Juan Basin. The basin encompasses numerous fascinating badlands and hoodoo areas, such as Burnham Badlands, the Fossil Forest, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin, Ojito, and Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah wilderness areas, as well as several other smaller areas. Overall, the badlands extend east of the Continental Divide to areas like Plaza Blanca, near Abiquiu. However, most are on the west side on the divide, with the extensive network of arroyos and washes draining into the San Juan river.
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