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Bisti / De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

🏜️ Canyons & deserts

Bisti / De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Farmington, NM · San Juan Basin, Northwest New Mexico

About

Bisti is 45,000 acres of eroded Cretaceous mudstone, coal seam and sandstone with nothing built on it. No trail, no sign, no water. From the dirt lot you walk east into Alamo Wash, a wide sand bottom, and the badlands assemble around you: hoodoos capped with dark stone, the Cracked Eggs about two miles in, petrified logs lying where they fell, hills banded gray, cream and rust. The Stone Wings sit in the northern half, reached from a separate north lot rather than this one. Everything looks alike at eye level, so a GPS pin on your car matters more than a map. Access is free, no permit, open year round. From Farmington go 36 miles south on NM 371, then east on County Road 7297 two miles to a T and a mile north. BLM recommends high clearance; the clay turns impassable wet, and washes flash flood. Vault toilet, no water, no summer shade. Carry several liters.

Highlights

Free, no permit, no entrance feeNo trails, no signs, no markers: GPS essentialLast miles on dirt CR 7297, high clearance advisedVault toilet at Bisti trailhead, no water anywhereCracked Eggs about 2 mi in via Alamo WashClay roads impassable wet, washes flash flood

Getting there

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Curated guides that feature Bisti / De-Na-Zin Wilderness.

Best Slot Canyons and Red Rock in the US15 places

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