bisti/de-na-zin wilderness

If you are looking for a walk in the forest, this is not for you. This was a change for me because all of the hiking that I have done has always been in the mountains. This was a nice change a pace to be in the open with little to no shade and looking for fossils and petrified wood. I had a ton of fun and look forward to returning for a longer hike next time.

I drove out here with my friend from Gallup (actually she drove.) It is a beautiful place and I have always wanted to go there, but it seemed a little scary, since it is so isolated. We loved it and it didn't seem so isolated once we got there. There were four other cars in the parking lot, although we did not see any of these people as we were exploring.It would be easy to get lost. Keep looking back to find landmarks so you can find your way back. We found petrified wood, which was neat, but of course we didn't take any. The road NM371 is pretty good, especially past Crownpoint. We stopped at the grocery store in Crownpoint to use the bathroom and get a snack. There is nothing to buy and no supplies anywhere near the Bisti Badlands, so Crownpoint is the last place. There is an old trading post about 15 miles from Bisti on NM371, but the bathroom was not clean. However, there are no bathrooms at the Bisti- not even fault toilets, so be prepared for that.Overall I can't wait to go back and next time we are going to go camping! It is a good idea to check the actual BLM website to check the regulations before you go.

If you have the need to disconnect then this is the place for you. I would not suggest going after a rain, as the fragile sandstone turns in clay. A place to gain Vision through absolute Solitude and imagination!

Get ready for a great hike and great photo opportunities! Watch the weather, as it can be extremely windy there! It is very remote, so bring a compass just in case your gps thing doesn't compute. There are no trails, to speak of, and the hike to the more popular sites are approximately a mile+ in. Bring water, wind jacket/coat/vest, hiking boots, hat, sunscreen and a nutritious snack. Common sense a must because there are no guides. With that said, don't miss it, and enjoy the Wild West!

South of Farmington, off a lonely highway 371, there are a few small parking areas, and you are mostly on your own to roam around the low hills of eroded soft rocks. Look up Bisti Badlands in Google; there are a few websites with directions and info.If you go into the area with deep gullies, make sure you don't end up in a box canyon, and know your path out. It probably isn't a good idea to visit in wet weather.Take plenty of water and proper footwear. There is plenty to see: mudstones eroded into hoodoos; lignitic coal containing traces of amber; beige petrified wood: a few bits of dinosaur bone; and a big blue sky. We even saw some clinker with the coal where either lightning had struck or the coal burned some time in the past. Stay until sunset if you can, to see the colors change and the shadows get longer.

One of my favorite places. The views are almost lunar in appearance. Well worth exploring. Great contrasts against the (almost always) blue clear sky. Take your camera, water and snacks. Enjoy this spectacular expression of nature.

The hoodoos (rock formations) here are breathtaking. Add in the never-ending NM sky, and it is a photographer's dream!

This is a great place to hike, take pictures but careful not to get lost, getting here might be a challenge so some planning suggested. It is located on 371 between Crowpoint and Farmington. It has a small designated parking but no restroom. Have fun exploring!

This is a must-see location. If you don't have it on your bucket list, you should! The landscape is almost lunar, with rock formations (called hoo-doos) unlike anywhere else I've ever been. Take your camera with plenty of digital space available.

One of the best places I visited on a road-trip to the South-West of the US. This place needs a little research before visiting, and it could be easy to get lost/dehydrated. The scenery is really unusual and just spectacular. Brilliant place for getting off-the-beaten-track and for photography.

Hiking Bisti has been on our list for years. I finally organized a western trip that worked in a stay in near by Farmington. The badlands are easily reached-clearly marked state rd with a well signed turn off. We spent a full day-beautiful photos-very different sets of rock formations. We have hiked the coyote buttes (vermillion cliffs), Arches, Zion etc and consider this very worthwhile. This area is a wilderness area-no marked hiking trails-so we went with a guide-Jim Caffrey-High Desert Photo. I will give Jim his personal due in another review-but briefly, he was great-made the day.

My husband and I were the only visitors the day we went. Beautiful sunshiny day. the sand formations were like something out of a movie set. certainly worth the trip!

I spent three days hiking and exploring Bisit (stayed in Farmington at night though one can camp on site). The entire time there was never more than three cars total at the "trailhead" and I only came across other people while out hiking once and they were at a distance. This is the type of location where a little bit of research is recommended. Through significant internet research I was able to locate GPS coordinates of some of the prime areas I wanted to be sure not to miss. It is easy to miss things, there is no defined path or trail and there are a lot of formations so what you are looking for might be close but not visable and easy to miss if you don't have GPS coordinates. A couple of general rules... while almost anyone can reach this location with a normal passenger car this is still a remote location. You will not have cell service and you can't count on help if you have a problem. You also obviously can't count on a "app" in terms of GPS (again no cell service) so satelite GPS is helpful. There are descriptions of routes you can find online that will help greatly if you don't have or don't want to rely on GPS. Have plenty of water and a headlight or at a minimum flashlight if you plan to be out for sun rise/set and then need to return to your car. There are "ditches/washes" and while I doubt a fall would be fatal you don't want to stumble and sustain an injury in the dark. Be respectful of the area and realize you can damage formations. Climbing/standing/sitting on anything that looks fragile is a bad idea - please preserve the experience for those that will follow. There are no facilities or amenities. You will need to use "leave no trace" practices and pack out any trash. I highly recommend a sunrise or sunset visit as the colors will be much more dramatic. Beyond the potentially hot/harsh conditions of mid-day the other issue is photographs during this time of day aren't going to capture the beauty of the area. If you are here for photography it will be interesting at any point but true high quality photographs worthy of framing are going to be produced in the hour prior to and after sunrise/set unless you get lucky and get some extreme weather that is interesting. That being said - extreme weather can also mean extreme road conditions. I didn't experience that but according to the research I did you do not want to be driving on these roads if they are not dry regardless of the type of vehicle you have. There are many other badland sites besides Bisti in the area. I have researched many but still haven't visited wanting my first trip to be a more extensive investigation of Bisti specifically.

This is well worth the trip off the beaten path. But, don't expect the formations seen on some of the photos. They are there, but whether or not you walk near them is another matter. I would liken the formations at this end as smaller versions in the Arches National Park. I would suggest that if you are driving a car, do not attempt the drive along these unpaved roads, especially if inclement weather. No problems in dry weather. There are two entrances to the park area, one off of 331 (the Bisti entrance) and the other off of 550, the Da-Na-Zin entrance. We entered via the 550 entrance. The Da Na Zin trail head is easy to find because of the parking area. But, the trail can be difficult to follow. There are some areas with small caches/columns of rocks, but not all the time. Be aware of your land marks, (if you don't have a GPS). The walk is at least a half mile before you get to the any areas of interest. You are truly on your own out here.

We saw a brochure for Farmington, NM that included a fantastic photo of two rock structures. We were eager to see them and headed for Bisti Badlands. But as we drove down route 5 we did not notice many photographic moment as the travel guide mentioned. So we drove 12 miles south to the actual park. We did not think it was any better in the park itself than the structures along the road. They were interesting, but we never found the ones in the travel book and we still liked Arches best.