Sightseeing
History BuffChaco Culture National Historical Park
$25–$50Walk through the stone great houses of Chaco Canyon, including Pueblo Bonito, along the Canyon Loop Drive.
Photo: mypubliclands, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFree
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness
Bisti Trailhead, County Road 7297 off NM-371, 36 miles south of Farmington · Farmington, NM
Why you should go…
Bisti/De-Na-Zin is a 45,000-acre Bureau of Land Management wilderness of eroded badlands, colorful hoodoos and fossil-bearing rock from the Late Cretaceous. There are no marked routes, so you navigate on your own across uneven ground, and you need to bring all your water. Bicycles, motor vehicles and drones are not allowed, and petrified wood must stay where it lies. The access roads are unpaved and can become impassable after rain or snow, and primitive camping is permitted.
- #badlands
- #hoodoos
- #wilderness hiking
- #petrified wood
- #photography
Good to know
General sport & outdoor guidance
Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.
Weather calls the shots
Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.
Shoes, water, sun cover
The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.
Parking and launches fill early
On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.
Daylight shrinks in shoulder season
Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.
What's around here?
The closest stops to Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, ordered by straight-line distance.
