Bisti / De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area

Bisti was magical and I’m so glad I got to experience before we move out of New Mexico. We got to do a bunch of exploring and then headed straight off the “trail” to make dinner in our camper.

We stayed here on a Thursday night and shared the parking lot with a handful of other campers. The bathrooms were clean and well stocked with TP.

We were not able to have a campfire but did witness a magical sunset. This area is such a gem!

there is no trash collection out here. Please pack it out!

Can park overnight at trailhead when planning a day hike. Don't miss the cracked eggs!

Pulled into this site shortly after midnight. There's a bathroom near the parking area where there were half a dozen campers. On the way in there were a handful more. Looks flat and empty at night. You can see all the neat formations in the day. It was pretty cold in the mid-march but our propane heater got us through the night. It was 38 the next day but felt nice in the sun.

This is a free campground with bathrooms near by. There is also some more dispersed camping in the BLM areas, but 4x4 is recommended to reach them. There is no visitors office and the landmarks/features are not marked on the trail map. 

This is a great place to stay.

I was expecting a visitor office, but went in too early before dawn and didn’t see one. We entered and kept walking: realized we were way too off from the good spots. Yet, good hike and I hope I get to be there in the right spot the next time!

This free campground positioned us well to beat the heat and hike through the badlands first thing in the morning! Pit toilets available next to the parking lot as well as a pavilion area with tables.

A handful of dispersed sites were available once in the BLM boundaries as well as plenty of space in the trailhead parking lot to spend the night.

The hike to the various features of the badlands are not marked, however good GPS signal allowed us to plug in coordinates to follow during the hike. Land forms looked like they should be from a different planet!

I was pretty confused getting here, google and Apple Maps seemed to struggle with me coming from Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah trailhead. It kept trying to take me down a road covered in cattle that led to de-na-zin parking lot. Finally found my way here by using online instructions from the blm website instead of using the pin. Once there it was really nice though. Plenty of stars and a bathroom to use, which is always appreciated at a free spot.

This place is haunting and beautiful. Very dry, very much a sun-baked desert. The soil at the top of the bluffs was oddly soft and puffy, and I’m honestly not sure how they haven’t been destroyed by foot traffic and erosion. That aside, there isn’t a good path to all the various landmarks and monuments so I highly recommend getting a hiking map or downloading one before you get to the site. Other reviewers said they had service but once we left the paved highway we didn’t have any, and since I hadn’t downloaded the map, I wasn’t able to find the big hoodoo that I wanted to see.

There is a large flat area that is great for tents, and many of the campers who parked there went further into the actual badlands to camp on the hills.

The covered picnic area has three tables and a grill.

An interesting feature is a tiny stream of clear water that meanders around the picnic area, but leaves all the plants it touches covered in a crusty white stuff.

Nice quiet FREE place to stay the night even though there were quite a few campers. Camping is in the parking lot area and basically any pull off you can find a space. If you’re in a tent just hike off anywhere and pitch it for the night. There are no trail markers so just be aware while exploring the very cool formations. Off hwy 371, at the T in the road turn left (Google maps said to turn right just FYI) continue down to parking lot or along the road.

There are pit toilets, no water or garbage. I was able to get AT&T and Verizon cell reception.

This campground is more like a parking lot with extended canyons for camping. You can set up shop right on the outskirts of the parking lot on the flat ground or in the nearby canyons or turnoffs on the road to get the the parking lot. 

There is a pit toilet located there that is really well taken care of. There is also a picnic shelter for those super hot days when you are in need of shade. 

You can also backpack across the wilderness area as well. You will need to check the weather and supply extra water since there is not much shade and no water sources. 

For Hiking: We used Gaia GPS to pinpoint our coordinates to the "cool" spots and ended up getting detoured due to really cool formations all over the place. We were like moths to flames. It is such a cool spot and LOTS to see!

Gear review: Banner and Oak Freedom to Explore hat

Occasionally as a Ranger we get the opportunity to test out some gear from time to time. I got this hat for my partner and he wanted to test it out for a while before we reviewed it so we thought this was the perfect opportunity. You can find the hat here: https://bannerandoak.com/collections/hats/products/horizon-olive

This hat is extremely fashionable and comfortable. The color is a perfect Olive with black writing that says "Freedom To Explore". There is a mesh lining on the inner front of the hat that helps with sweat and heat. It also keeps you from getting a line across your forehead when removing the hat. He wore it all day and didn't take it off once for it being too loose or too tight. Even after a week fo wearing it everyday it didn't get that gross sweat smell that normal hats get. 

The back of the hat has a buckle closure instead of snaps so it lays nice on the back of your head and doesn't dig in.