| This prominent twin-peaked landmark in Angel Peak National Recreation Area rises to a height of nearly 7000 feet above a blue and gray shale badland that was once an ancient seabed. A mile south of the peak, juniper-sheltered picnicking and camping facilities are set on a canyon rim. Though there are no formal trails, high desert hiking opportunities abound along the rim. Half a dozen gas wells in the area provide visual reference points and remind visitors of the multiple uses of public lands. Stay late - the sunsets are usually gorgeous.At 6,988 feet, Angel Peak is only a minor summit, rising just a little way above the high desert plains of northwest New Mexico, and sits in the middle of a rolling expanse of pastel-colored badlands, cliffs and dry washes. The region is peaceful, desolate and empty, well worth visiting for a few hours or staying overnight; most is protected as a BLM National Recreation Site which has an excellent free campsite on a promontory above the badlands.There are no trails down from the rim at the picnic site, but several paths lead into the badlands at the end of the road, through little twisting ravines and to the Angel Peak summit. The badlands were produced by erosion of two strata; Kirtland Shale and the Nacimiento Formation, and also contain large specimens of petrified wood, here an attractive grey-bluish colors. The barrenness of the terrain is due to high soil alkalinity and poor drainage. |
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