The eggs and hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness were formed in sand and silt revealed 73 million years ago when the Western Interior Seaway receded.
The La Plata Mountains, seen from San Juan County, are a small subrange of the San Juan Mountains in sw Colorado, and includes Hesperus Mountain at 13,332 feet.
Angel Peak Scenic Area is located 15 miles south of Bloomfield in San Juan County, with over 10,000 acres of rugged terrain, badlands and deep canyons.
The San Juan River is a 383 mile long major tributary of the Colorado River and a primary drainage for the Four Corners.
Navajo Lake is a 3800 feet long and 400 feet deep reservoir located in northeastern San Juan County, created from a dam completed in 1962.
Shiprock (Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings") is a 27 million year old volcanic rock formation, designated as a National Natural Landmark, rising 1,583 feet above the desert.
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness (Bisti Badlands) is a 45,000-acre wilderness area full of rock formations made of sandstone, shale, mudstone, and silt.
The Aztec Ruins National Monument, on 318 acres, consists of dwellings and sacred structures built by Ancient Pueblo Indians in the 12th and 13th Centuries.

Drug Overdose

Category: Substance Use

Drug Overdose - Rates

In 2024 there were 30 drug overdose deaths in San Juan County down from a peak of 47 deaths in 2023; giving an age-adjusted rate in 2024 of 25.5 per 100,000 population.

San Juan County's rate is below the state's rate of 35.6 deaths per 100,000, and similar to the national U.S. rate of 23.1.

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Drug Overdose Deaths

Trends, Drug Overdose

The rates shown in the chart below are the most recent data from the NM Dept of Health (through 2024).

Overdose death rates have risen steadily in the past 20 years, increasing sharply since 2018. Rates across the U.S. and New Mexico decreased from 2021 through 2024. San Juan County's drug overdose rate showed a marked decrease from 2023 to 2024.

Trends, Preliminary Data for 2025

Preliminary data for 2025 from the CDC in the chart below shows San Juan County's downward trend maintained, with a similar number of overdose deaths in 2024 and 2025.

The rate across the U.S. continued to decline in 2025, whereas New Mexico experienced an upward trend in 2025, from 775 overdose deaths in 2024 to 967 in 2025, similar to the number in 2023 of 993. (Note: rates below are crude rates, not age-adjusted as above.)

Polysubstance Use

Polysubstance use, or the use of multiple substances together or within a short time frame, is a contributing factor that increases the risk of overdose, including accidental deaths resulting from the compounding effects of multiple substances used together.
(Substances include alcohol, prescription opioid and benzodiazepine medication, and illicit substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.)

Polysubstance Overdose

Approximately one-half of overdose deaths in San Juan County involve the use of multiple substances. 

Polysubstance Involvement

in Overdose Deaths
(2017-21)

Polysubstance Use

Nearly one in ten respondents (8.2%) on the county's annual New Mexico Communty Survey report polysubstance use in the past year.
Polysubstance Use (2026)

New Mexico's Indicator-based Information System: 
https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/

CDC WONDER - Provisional Mortality Statistics:
https://wonder.cdc.gov

Updated/Checked: Sept-Oct 2026

It is of note that NM Dept of Health (IBIS) and CDC WONDER often differ by 1-2 overdose deaths each year.

CDC WONDER also has the most current, up to date data available, as numbers of deaths and crude (not age-adjusted) rates.