Bisti Badlands

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is 45,000 acres of BLM badlands south of Farmington, and it’s the most alien-looking part of New Mexico. Soft Fruitland and Kirtland Formation shale has eroded into hoodoos, balanced caprocks, and “cracked egg” formations. There are no trails, no signs, and often no other visitors in sight, which is the draw: you navigate by landmark through a landscape that is unlike anywhere else.

What to Do

Wander. That’s pretty much all there is to do here. There’s no set route, just badlands to explore on your own between the Bisti and De-Na-Zin trailheads, which sit about six miles apart. From the Bisti Trailhead, the nearest hoodoo fields and the cracked-egg formations are roughly a mile and a half in. The bigger spires that people travel to photograph, called the Alien Throne and the Hoodoo Garden, take several more miles of cross-country walking and GPS coordinates to find. Petrified wood litters the ground throughout, legal to photograph, illegal to collect. Sunrise and sunset create long shadows across the formations and are by far the best times to take pics. On clear nights, the total darkness makes for excellent stargazing.

How Much Time to Spend

Plan a half day at minimum. Reaching the well-known formations and finding your way back takes a few hours without a GPS track loaded in advance. Photographers chasing sunrise or sunset light routinely spend a full day, and some camp nearby to catch both ends of the light in one trip.

Getting There

For the Bisti Trailhead, drive south from Farmington on NM-371 for 36 miles, turn east onto County Road 7297, follow it roughly two miles to a T-intersection, then turn left and continue about a mile to the parking area. The De-Na-Zin Trailhead is reached from US-550 south of Bloomfield via BLM Road 7500, roughly a dozen miles east. Both approach roads are graded dirt and gravel which can become turn to slick, often impassable mud after rain or snow, so don’t attempt it if the roads look wet. Inside the wilderness there’s no cell service, no water, no shade, and no marked paths, so carry a GPS, bring lots of water, and tell someone where you are going.

Bisti is remote and undeveloped, but it’s a place you won’t forget. Just come prepared!