Farmington, NM

[david_daniel]

I will be in the Farmington, NM area for over a week on an assignment

with a bike company. I would like to get some advice from area

residents on some places to spend photographic time as i will have lots

of free hours on and around thanksgiving. in addition to wildlife

areas, I am most interested in photogenic (but lesser known) Indian

ruins, ghost towns, old cemeteries, rock art and any other photographic

location not normally found on a map.

 

Thanks, Dave

[john lehman, college alask]

The ruins at Aztec are well known, but still interesting

[todd_caudle1]

Doesn't really count as "not normally found on a map," but sunrise or sunset of Shiprock is pretty cool. It's about 25 miles west of Farmington.

[alex_medeiros]

There is a very unique area called Bisti Badlands. It is not terribly easy to find. From the road it does not look spectacular at all. After about a two mile drive down a dirt road you will come to a small parking area. If you hike in about 1/3-1/2 mile you will come to an area that is filled with hoodoos and looks like an alien landscape. We were the only people there for several hours. It is one the best places I have visited. The geologic structures are fragile so be careful not to damage them if you go. Have fun!

[ed b.]

I realize you are looking for lesser known locations, but if I were that close I wouldn't pass up the chance to get to Chaco Canyon at such an excellent time of year. Climb the mesa and photograph Pueblo Alto.<div></div>

[robert_hohlfelder]

I'll second the recommendation for the Bisti Badlands, a spectacular photographic destination. It's one of the most unusual landscapes you could imagine. Almost completely devoid of vegetation, the Badlands are characterized by strangely weathered clay and shale formations, and littered with fragments of petrified wood. It's about a half-hour drive south from Farmington, though you have to hike a couple of miles to see the strange mushroom-like "hoodoo" formations. There are no trails and you're likely to see few, if any, people. Bob Julyan's "New Mexico's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide" has some info on the area, and there's also a BLM brochure. <P>

(Some photos at <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/rjhohlf/photo/Badlands/badlands.html">http://www.geocities.com/rjhohlf/photo/Badlands/badlands.html</A><P>

[jay_piper]

At this time I should probably say "hope you had a great trip" but here are a few thoughts for archive.

 

Shiprock is stunning from almost any direction or distance. Roads west of Farmington to Bluff, Utah and even onward NW to Natural Bridges National Monument are pretty contrasts of valley floor and sandstone bluffs.

 

Don't overlook Angel Peak (National Recration Area or State Park?)a mini-badlands area SE of Farmington, it is off of N side of route 44, near entrance road to Chaco Canyon that runs S from 44. Nice camping with dark skies, the road disappears if you hike a bit (use caution on 'slickrock'- like slopes, and the only visual downside is a few gas wells in vicinity - easy to work around.

 

Chaco Canyon in NM and/or Mesa Verde in CO are "must see" places for a long day, or better, an overnight trip from Farmington.

 

If you make a bigger loop in NM, go SE past Chaco, Angel Peak, Jemez Caldera, Santa Fe(or further E and S via East Sandia 'turquise trail') and then W on I-40 to include the Acoma/El Morro/El Malpais/Zuni area by looping around Mt Taylor/Grants and returning to Farmington through the S entrance to Chaco Canyon that is off I-40 W of Grants (the town near I-40 has a distinctive literary name - Shakespeare, Moriarty or Thoreau).