Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area

Looks like it's surrounded by BLM, Tribal and State Land:

www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/Ah-shi-sle-pah.pdf

Been there a bunch of times. A guy named Sternburg pulled a bunch of dinosaur fossils out of there in the 1920s and sent them back home to Norway or one of those counties near there, I forget, and you can still find bones, armor and teeth. We found two petrified stumps that were still rooted right where they had grown over a hundred million years ago. Some of the most amazing scenes are the eroded remains of the badlands themselves. Those can be surreal in the right light. You must search them out as a lot of the land is horse pasture that the Navajo horses graze but there are outstanding badlands too. We even found a hidden landscape that is completely surrounded by eroded walls but has an outlet under one to let the rain water out. We probably have over a thousand images from our trips. It is one of those walk in a ways and set up camp, then roam all over with minimal gear and all of your photographic gear. Don’t worry, if you like this kind of thing you can wander all day and into the night. You will get very dark skies if there is no moon.

Don’t forget the Bisti/De-na-zin to the north. That is long enough to backpack. They are all surrounded by tribal lands.

No water sources in any of these unless it snows so take what you need.

Wow, what a neat looking place. Such a rugged landscape. Thanks for bringing it up. The Southwest is an amazing area.

You can figure that out at this site; ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#12/36.1354/-107.9223

I printed my paper maps from Nat Geo Topo software and it is seemless so don’t know the Topo names.

The Ah-shi-sle-pa is just north of Chaco. One interesting fact is the North Chacoan road bisects the Ah-shi-sle-pa. I’ve come across potsherds there in right about where the road went through, The road is not visible in many places today though. That road eventually comes to The Acropolis miles to the north and we did manage to find that too.The Bisti/De-na-zin is northeasterly of the Ah-shi-sle-pa. If you can also find BLM Surface Management Status 1:100,000 Topo to compliment usgs 1:2400 they will show you land ownership very well.

The landscape is so strange that exploration is paramount but you will need good maps because you will feel like you are off the map out there. You’ll see what I mean when you get there.

It's sad that red dog's Bisti traverse trip report was lost in one of the Backpacker forum transitions. His preparation for that adventure was almost as interesting as the trip itself.

Hey null did you ever go to this area or check into it some more?

Thanks. I've been looking more into it as a destination for an extended road trip over Memorial Day.