Peña Blanca Wilderness Study Area

Peña Blanca Wilderness Study Area in south-central New Mexico, on the eastern edge of Las Cruces in Doña Ana County, managed by BLM Las Cruces Field Office. The rock shelters here preserve the earliest known cultivated corn in the United States—a primitive eight-row variety—representing significant archaeological evidence of early agriculture. This WSA offers wilderness recreation with opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, and cultural exploration across naturally intact public lands eligible for wilderness designation.