Outdoors and wildfire - Western Slope
The Adobe Badlands near Delta are a clay moonscape best seen in dry weather
The Adobe Badlands northeast of Delta are eroded Mancos Shale with fossils and big views, but they have no trails or water, and the BLM warns the clay soils are difficult to cross when wet.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 12, 2026
Just northeast of the city of Delta, the green of the irrigated valley gives way to a strange, bare landscape of gray and tan clay hills. This is the Adobe Badlands, a BLM Wilderness Study Area carved out of Mancos Shale, an old seabed rock that erodes into a kind of moonscape. From the high points you get long views of the Grand Mesa, the West Elk Mountains, and the distant San Juans.
The shale here was laid down under an ancient sea, and it holds marine fossils. It is a quiet place to hike, ride, or take photos. But it asks for respect. The BLM notes there are no trails and no water out here, and it gets very hot and dusty in summer. Just as important, the BLM warns that the clay soils are difficult to walk across when wet. The simple rule: plan your visit for dry weather, and if rain or snowmelt has soaked the ground, save the trip for another day.
To reach the area, you head out from US Highway 50 toward the Delta County Airport and the Devil’s Thumb area, then travel cross-country on foot, since there is no trail system.
Carry your own water, and tell someone your plan. For access details and current conditions, check the Bureau of Land Management’s Adobe Badlands page.