Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Abstract rock formations! On 28th December 2025, we went on a self-guided tour of this wilderness area to see the fantasy world of unusual rock formations with our friends. This was the first time we hiked in any wilderness area and we were completely blown away. We combined the Bisti Badlands and Bisti Washloop trails together, hiked 6.54-miles and spent around five hours exploring this place. This hike was easy to us; there were a few easy climbs (which can be avoided). The unique, dark-colored (often stained by iron oxides to a rich brown) ‘Chocolate Hoodoos’ are found in this eroded landscape. Other otherworldly formations, in the area include Alien Hatchery/Cracked fossilized eggs and mushroom-like pillars sculpted from sedimentary rock by wind and water, alongside numerous petrified wood logs. It was amazing to observe how intense weathering by wind and infrequent, heavy rains carves soft shale, sandstone, and mudstone into intricate formations and arrangements. Suggestions: 1) Check weather conditions before hiking in this badland area. 2) To reach to the trailhead requires a high-clearance vehicle for the rough, primitive dirt road. 3) As there are no trail markers please download an offline map. 4) Please wear heat protection and put on sturdy hiking shoes with good traction. 5) Bring enough water and high energy snack with you. 6) Avoid touching the intricate formations. 7) Leave no trace behind.

Conditions were harsh on 1 December with lower temps but the place is strangely enigmatic. Hike party of 4. Don’t come for the markers it is underwhelming. Come instead to experience a surreal corner of the world. The howling winds, sun, frost etc is an unforgettable experience. Come well covered for desert extremes and a downloaded map. Use the blinking tower and lines as a marker. Toilets available by the parking lot.

If you’re unfamiliar with the area but an avid hiker, Bisti Badlands is an amazing area to check out on your own, so long as you’ve come prepared with GPS coordinates, maps, and parking advice. I have no affiliation with it, but we used Firefall Photography’s website for excellent resources on all of that, including pinpoints for the north/south parking areas. As experienced hikers (Grand Canyon, Utah parks, Himalayas, etc.), we know our limitations, including the fact that our GPS apps often make quirky jumps in extremely remote areas, so we tried to pick and choose our priorities, ultimately deciding that we could manage the Bisti portion by ourselves. (We did the De-Na-Zin side the following day, with a guide. We had limited time to explore and didn’t want to waste it false-navigating to permitted parking sites or major landmarks on our own, especially in monsoon season, so we signed up for the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah tour offered by Navajo Wilderness Adventures for that area — absolutely wonderful!) On our independent day at Bisti, we arrived around 3 p.m., and a few sprinkles started just after 7 p.m., cutting off our desire to stay into the golden/blue hours, but it’s worth visiting no matter the time of day. Since we had only one sunrise moment to spend there, we decided to end at Wings, despite having read that the Eggs don’t photograph well in brighter light, and we were pleased with that choice in the end, since we had “near sunset” at the gorgeous hill of wings. Overall, in just under five hours, we made it from the Eggs to the Wings and hit nearly every major formation in between, including the Rock Garden, petrified wood, Hoodoo City, Vanilla Hoodoos, Manta Ray, and more. We found that some of our GPS points didn’t quite match the Firefall map (including at the Beige Hoodoos and Manta Ray), but going armed with general AllTrails locations, Firefall and AllTrails maps, Gaia, and a tiny print map with photos made it all come together, allowing us plenty of time to photograph the landscape from vantages up, down, and all around. The relatively flat terrain made our nine miles of hiking relatively simple (but do avoid it after rain where possible), and it was a fantastic journey — such mesmerizing formations and astounding landscape!

Beautiful, stark, otherworldly landscape. Be sure to download a hiking route as there is no signal and one could easily get lost.

Love the Bisti bad lands, just wish it was better marked. We hiked for 4 hours and really enjoyed the landscapes and sites. Even saw 4 Jack rabbits.

A long way to see little. But it was still an experience due to the sand storm, the desertedness, off the beaten path all alone with no trails to follow.

Amazing place to visit. I highly recommend going in winter, early spring, or late fall—avoid the hot summer months. A few things to note: • The bathrooms were poorly maintained and had a strong odor. • There are no clearly marked trails, and it’s easy to get lost, so bring a compass or use a GPS/backtracking app. • County Road 7500 is an unpaved dirt road (about 20 miles) and can be rough. • As an alternative, NM 371 is generally a better route to access the area.

My favorite destination in the US! Magical terrain, a clear plain eye view of the Milky Way at night, great hikes and views. Plus, it's BLM land and highly less populated than a NP. Two amazing trips there in the past few years, can't wait to get back!