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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature; Sites by State >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> New Mexico >> Bisti-De-Na-Zin Wilderness – New Mexico tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Bisti-De-Na-Zin Wilderness – New Mexico

Images of Bisti Wilderness – New Mexico, taken in June 2025.

This badlands was once a coastal swamp of an inland sea. Bisti is Navajo for “a large area of shale hills” and De-Na-Zin meaning “cranes”, perfectly describes this area of tall hoodoos and strange formations.

The Bisti Wilderness is a rugged, desolate and unforgiving landscape that draws people to it because of its canyons of beautiful hoodoo formations. The area is 40 miles south of Farmington, New Mexico and truly in the middle of nowhere. As it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), there are no services, visitor centers, signage or even trails. Instead, one is forced to navigate to, and through, the area with whatever tools they have at their disposal. For me, I used my cell phone and Maps to navigate to the north parking area and to get my bearings to locate the area I wanted to explore. Then I set off on foot for about a quarter of a mile until I came to a spot where I could see some of the formations in the distance. I also used the GPS tracking on my watch so I could use it to get back to my car in case I became disoriented. Once I got into the formations, a spectacular collection of hoodoos and unusual scenery, it was easy to understand why people come here, and how they can get lost. You could wander around this remote wilderness for days and still find unique formations that make you want to explore further.

Considering how difficult it is to navigate this area; I probably should have told someone where I was going before I got there, a thought that crossed my mind several times when I found myself in a place where it was unclear which way was which. In the end, I found it even more difficult to narrow down this gallery to a mere 80 images! However, if you take time to go through them all, you will find yourself in a fantasyland of otherworldly hoodoo rock formations.
Looking toward the north hoodoo area of the Bisti Wilderness
Looking toward the north hoodoo area of the Bisti Wilderness 		Hard rocks scattered below a sandstone wall in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard rocks scattered below a sandstone wall in the Bisti Wilderness		 Cap rock Hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Cap rock Hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard cap rock wall in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard cap rock wall in the Bisti Wilderness		 Rock formation in the Bisti Wilderness
Rock formation in the Bisti Wilderness
Petrified wood on the surface in the Bisti Wilderness
Petrified wood on the surface in the Bisti Wilderness		 Valley of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Valley of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hoodo valley in the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodo valley in the Bisti Wilderness		 View of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
View of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard cap hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard cap hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Sandstone valley in the Bisti Wilderness
Sandstone valley in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard cap hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard cap hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Capped hoodoo and wall in the Bisti Wilderness
Capped hoodoo and wall in the Bisti Wilderness		 Sandstone hill with hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Sandstone hill with hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Sandstone valley with scattered hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Sandstone valley with scattered hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Large hoodoo in a sandstone valley in the Bisti Wilderness
Large hoodoo in a sandstone valley in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard capped rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard capped rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hoodoos with hard rock caps in the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodoos with hard rock caps in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard rock balanced on sandstone in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard rock balanced on sandstone in the Bisti Wilderness
Half of the Stone Wings formation in the Bisti Wilderness
Half of the Stone Wings formation in the Bisti Wilderness		 Example of the scarce plant life in the Bisti Wilderness
Example of the scarce plant life in the Bisti Wilderness		 Rear Stone Wing in the Bisti Wilderness
Rear Stone Wing in the Bisti Wilderness		 Different layers near the wash in the Bisti Wilderness
Different layers near the wash in the Bisti Wilderness		 Stone Wings in the Bisti Wilderness
Stone Wings in the Bisti Wilderness
Front Stone Wing in the Bisti Wilderness
Front Stone Wing in the Bisti Wilderness		 Large cap rock formation in the Bisti Wilderness
Large cap rock formation in the Bisti Wilderness		 The Stone Wings formation in the Bisti Wilderness
The Stone Wings formation in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 The Stone Wings formation in the Bisti Wilderness
The Stone Wings formation in the Bisti Wilderness
Eroded area with hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Eroded area with hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Balanced rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Balanced rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard rocks balanced on softer sandstone in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard rocks balanced on softer sandstone in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hoodoos formed by erosion in the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodoos formed by erosion in the Bisti Wilderness		 Closeup of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Closeup of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Collection of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Collection of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness 		Eroded area of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Eroded area of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Closeup of a hoodoo area in the Bisti Wilderness
Closeup of a hoodoo area in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hoodoos and the wider landscape of the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodoos and the wider landscape of the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard cap rock formation in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard cap rock formation in the Bisti Wilderness
Collection of hard rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Collection of hard rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Small hill with hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Small hill with hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Wide view of a collection of hard rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Wide view of a collection of hard rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 View of hard rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
View of hard rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hoodoos on the side of a small hill in the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodoos on the side of a small hill in the Bisti Wilderness
Tall hard rock hoodoos surrounded by smaller hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Tall hard rock hoodoos surrounded by smaller hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Balanced rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Balanced rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Two tall hard rock hoodoos surrounded by smaller hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Two tall hard rock hoodoos surrounded by smaller hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard rock perched on soft sandstone in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard rock perched on soft sandstone in the Bisti Wilderness		 Two tall hard rock hoodoos surrounded by smaller hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Two tall hard rock hoodoos surrounded by smaller hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Odd shaped cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Odd shaped cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Window in a hoodoo created by erosion in the Bisti Wilderness
Window in a hoodoo created by erosion in the Bisti Wilderness		 Large hard cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Large hard cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Area of flat top hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Area of flat top hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard cap rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard cap rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Smooth cap stones on hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Smooth cap stones on hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard cap rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard cap rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Smooth cap rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Smooth cap rock hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Stacked cap rocks on a hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Stacked cap rocks on a hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Area of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Area of hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Two cap rocks form a hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Two cap rocks form a hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Small cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Small cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Rock arch on the ground next to a large rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Rock arch on the ground next to a large rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Small water carved twisting creek bed in the Bisti Wilderness
Small water carved twisting creek bed in the Bisti Wilderness		 Short flat-topped hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Short flat-topped hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Rugged landscape of rock and hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness
Rugged landscape of rock and hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard rock capped hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard rock capped hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 The rocky badlands of the Bisti Wilderness
The rocky badlands of the Bisti Wilderness		 Tall hard rock capped hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Tall hard rock capped hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Fossil stick-laced rock in the Bisti Wilderness
Fossil stick-laced rock in the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodoos in a small valley in the Bisti Wilderness
Hoodoos in a small valley in the Bisti Wilderness		 Tilted cap rock hoodoo overlooks the Bisti Wilderness
Tilted cap rock hoodoo overlooks the Bisti Wilderness		 Large hard rock capped hoodoos near a rock wall in the Bisti Wilderness
Large hard rock capped hoodoos near a rock wall in the Bisti Wilderness		 Tall hard cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness
Tall hard cap rock hoodoo in the Bisti Wilderness		 Rock boulder field in the Bisti Wilderness
Rock boulder field in the Bisti Wilderness
Closeup of a large hard cap rock in the Bisti Wilderness
Closeup of a large hard cap rock in the Bisti Wilderness		 Hard cap rock on an elevated wall in the Bisti Wilderness
Hard cap rock on an elevated wall in the Bisti Wilderness		 Broken wall capped with hard rock in the Bisti Wilderness
Broken wall capped with hard rock in the Bisti Wilderness		 Looking back on the north hoodoo area while leaving the Bisti Wilderness
Looking back on the north hoodoo area while leaving the Bisti Wilderness		 Landscape leading to the north Bisti Wilderness
Landscape leading to the north Bisti Wilderness

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