Hoodoo Pines

Finding hoodoos is one of our favorite activities that comes with hiking in New Mexico. Awesome views and bright blue skies are right at the top of our list, too. After what seemed like a long, dark, cold January we welcomed the start of February with a hike that gave us all of our favorites.

So what is a hoodoo? Here’s an example:

Over eons of time, wind and water (mostly wind in New Mexico) work on layers of rock to erode away the softer rock and leave behind columns of harder rock layers. And many times on top of the column you will see a stranded rock precariously perched looking like a giant hand decided to just set it down somewhere.

Here’s another example:

And I thought this one was cool because it looks like the silhouette of a dog.

These are not hoodoos, but they show the erosion of soft, sandstone rock that often exposes colorful layers and forms miniature “tent cities.”

Rocks aren’t the only thing that gets shaped by the wind.

This particular hike was in the Ojito Wilderness. The area with the hoodoos is commonly called Hoodoo Pines because the hoodoos are in a small grove of Ponderosa Pines. Most of the terrain in the Ojito is desolate, open desert with scattered mesas here and there. So it’s a bit unexpected to find Ponderosa Pines.

Author: bjregan

Enjoying retirement activities. Main goals for retirement are to stay spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. View all posts by bjregan