Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness

A seemingly Martian landscape of white sand littered with small brown boulders. Lumpy white cliffs rise in the background, under a black sky laced with wispy white clouds.

Library image #361

Introduction

The United States Congress designated the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness (map) in 1984 and it now has a total of 38,381 acres. All of this wilderness is located in New Mexico and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Description

An eerie otherworldliness surrounds Bisti Badlands, especially when the moon casts shadows across the hoodoos, weird rock formations with mazelike passages. Difficult as it is to believe, this stark landscape, once buried beneath an ancient sea, used to have ample water. As the water slowly receded, prehistoric animals roamed about, living off of each other and the lush foliage that flourished along the many riverbanks. Eventually, the water disappeared, leaving behind a 1,400-foot-thick layer of jumbled sandstone, mudstone, shale, and coal that lay undisturbed for 50 million years. Then, 6,000 years ago, the last ice age receded, exposing fossils and eroding the rock into the fantastic hoodoos you see today. The soil underfoot now lies soft and yielding, wrinkled like the surface of stale popcorn. But the ominous silence reflects the absence of wildlife, for very few animals--save a handful of lizards, snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions, and an occasional hawk or eagle--have taken up residence on this somewhat forbidding land.

Precipitation in this Wilderness averages a mere eight inches a year, and that typically holds off until July and August temperatures rise to screaming highs. When a downpour does occur, the soil, typically baked to ceramic hardness by the sun, softens into a slippery, yielding substance. Cottontail rabbits, coyotes, badgers, and prairie dogs have been able to eke out a living in this unusually harsh environment, and the avian life is downright prosperous, with piñon jays, ravens, and, of course, several species of birds of prey.

Researchers believe that dinosaurs passed into extinction around these parts, so keep an eye out for fossils (if you find one, remember that removing fossils is illegal).

Elevation averages around 6,300 feet, and the most striking scenery is in the southern two-thirds of the area. The Wilderness boundaries enclose parcels of private Navajo land. Please respect private property. Carry a map, a compass, and plenty of water. Backpacking and horsepacking are unrestricted, but campfires are forbidden. Chances are you won't encounter a soul here.

Planning to Visit the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness?

Print a fact sheet
General things to consider when visiting any wilderness
Regulations
Contact the Bureau of Land Management
- Farmington Field Office

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness.

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.