USA Bisti Badlands

Bisti (pronounced Bist-EYE) Badlands covers an area roughly 60 square miles of remote badlands, offering some of the most unusual scenery in the world. National Geographic Traveler listed the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, also known as the Bisti Badlands, as one of their must-visit adventure destinations for 2019. It’s a vast area to explore. You have to hike at least a mile before things start to get interesting but after that, the good stuff never stops. That said, I highly recommend carrying a GPS device and know how to use it. One could spend 5 or 6 hours and see a lot of good stuff with the aid of GPS or several days to see the same stuff without GPS. Hiking in Bisti after a rain would be difficult if not impossible due to the clay based soil. The petrified log in this photo is approximately 33 feet long.

The best Bisti access point is off State Highway 371 at Road 7297, about 40 miles south of Farmington, New Mexico. Follow the graveled Road 7297 east for about 2 miles to a T-intersections and turn left. Drive almost one mile to the Bisti Access Parking Area. This parking area is just south of a broad wash on the east side of the road. Please note that Road 7297 does not pass through the wilderness as is marked on some maps. This turnoff is between mile marker 70 and 71.  Four-wheel drive or a high clearance vehicle is not needed. If it rains, the dirt/clay roads become a quagmire.