Photographing in Bisti Badlands

[rick_durbin]

I plan to visit Bisti Badlands in NW New Mexico towards the end

of March, shooting Velvia and Provia Quickloads and FP4+. I can

get to the parking lot at the entrance OK, but from there I haven't a

clue about which direction and how far away the weird

formations and hills are located. Prior posts haven't helped

much. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. Rick

[donald_miller1]

Rick,

 

I photographed there last April. The badlands lie along both sides of the highway south of Farmington NM. There is no park headquarters as such that I ever found. In fact there was only one other vehicle that I encountered in the formations themselves.

 

You will encounter an area that can be accessed by foot to the right (west) side of the highway. Additionally, further south of the area on the right is a road leading east (left) into the formations on that side of the highway. There is a drive of possibly 2 miles or so leading back to the east/northeast that will take you back into the formations. Two wheel vehicles are O.K. It is a deadend road and you will need to come back the way that you entered. Since you are shooting black and white, plan on expansion, expansion, expansion. The contrast is fairly low and it will take film that will handle N+ to N+2 to gain the full impact of this region.

 

Good luck and enjoy your visit.

 

Regards,

 

Donald Miller

[mike_rosenberg1]

Rick,

 

If you drive to the area east about 2 miles you will come to a parking area and cattle gate. You will pass the old trading post with a swing set. If time is short you can take a short hike across the gravel road from the parking lot to the northeast. Within a half mile you will come across some formations. If you go through the cattle gate and hike southeasterly. You may have to go 1-2 miles, but there will be a lot of formations. The best time to photograph will be early morning and late afternoon. Bright sun is harsh, and no interesting shadows. I have camped there twice, and will return again someday.

 

Best regards,

 

Mike

[michael_kravit]

The Bisti is an absolutely incredible place.

 

Just prior to entering the parking area you will pass over a dry wash creek bed. After parking you can also hike along the wash about a half mile to a mile and then climb out to the right and take a quick walk across the flat open field to the formations. Place markers to find your way out of you hike in fairly long distances as the existing trail markers stop after a while.

 

Cell phones work in most of the Bisti, however be sure to bring plenty of water. You can spend days and days hiking and finding new areas to photograph.

 

 

Mike<div></div>

[william_stone]

Rick - the Bisti is a wonderful place to explore and photograph and you have gotten some good suggestions on visiting there.

 

However, I must, with all due respect to Michael, protest the recommendation that trail markers be placed on your way hike in. Please do not do that.

 

There are no maintained trails in this wilderness. One of BLM's goals in managing an area such as this--as a wilderness--is to preserve "...an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man..." (as stated in the Wilderness Act of 1964). To be sure, there are wilderness areas that have maintained trails, but Bisti-De-na-zin is not one of them.

 

The last thing the Bisti needs is a maze of cairns dotting every visitor's specific route...that won't do anyone any good at all.

 

We all need to do what we can to keep places like this as wild as possible. And, casual-use trail markers don't connote wildness, not to me, anyway. Use a map, use a compass, use a GPS receiver, or, better yet, use all three...along with the proper knowledge of how to use them..to find your way in and out. But, please do not build trail markers in places like the Bisti.

 

Although the Bisti can be a bit of a convoluted area to navigate, the bottom line is that it's fairly difficult to get REALLY lost out there...you will essentially be hiking east into the area from the parking lot. There is a road along that western side of the wilderness (the side where the parking lot is), so when it's time to turn around and head back to your car, you will generally be walking west. (If the skies are clear--which they usually are out there--you can easily use the sun's position in the sky, with knowledge of the time of day, to keep you generally oriented...or use your compass) Even if you don't end up right at the parking lot, you'll eventually hit the road and you can get back to your car from there.

 

This is not to say it's impossible to get lost out there...but with some basic navigational skills, and a good sense of adventure (and some common sense), you'll have a great time. It is, however, a good idea to have a companion or to have left your plans with someone who could call for help if need be.

 

Enjoy!

 

regards, Bill

 

p.s. you might want to contact the BLM's office in Farmington, NM that manages the Bisti-De-na-zin Wilderness and request their visitor brochures for the area (until recently, the Bisti and De-na-zin were two separate wildernesses, now they are one contiguous area).

You might also try to track down Bob Julyan's book, "New Mexico's Wilderness Areas" (Westcliffe Publishers, 1998) which has 3 pages about the area - although just very general hiking recommendations.

[michael_kravit]

Bill,

 

You are right of course about the trail markers. I was not clear and was not

suggesting anyone build Kirins, but what I try to do is create arrows out of

stones that point the way out. I ALWAYS remove them on my way back out. A

few hand sized stones have always served me well.

 

Once leaving, I scatter the stones just as I had gathered them.

 

Anyway, in essence, you are correct, a bunch of stone monuments would

most definitely ruin this incredible place.

 

Mike

[michael_kravit]

Oops, I think Kirins are beer bottles.....;-)

[rick_durbin]

OK guys, let's have one for the road! Thanks to you all for some

very useful information. Rick