About 40 miles south of Farmington, New Mexico lies the Bisti Badlands/De-Na-Zin Wilderness.
This very remote area is desolate and otherworldly. The eroded landscape offers an abundance of unusual and fantastic scenery, rock formations and fossils.
Bisti means “a large area of shale hills” in Navajo, while De-Na-Zin is their word for "cranes". This name comes from the many petroglyphs of of these birds found nearby.
The Bisti Badlands cover over 45,000 acres of San Juan County, New Mexico and are not to far away from another iconic New Mexican site, the ancient Chaco Canyon. The wilderness is free all year around, though spring and fall are the best times to visit due to temperatures.
Dispersed camping is allowed for up to 14 days on BLM land with no permit.
From Highway 371, turn east on gravel road 7297, and go for 2 miles to a T-intersection. Turn left and drive about one mile to the parking area, just south of a wash on the east side of the road. There is also a smaller parking area a little further down the road.