Purpose of This Site
This site will share basic information about exploring and hiking in the Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness. Often when I walk in the Wilderness, I am approached by a first-time visitor who has been unable to find the hoodoos and petrified wood referred to in many places on the web. I want to provide some basic directions to interesting viewpoints, and also identify the most common and visible features of the Wilderness.
One Word of CAUTION
The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is a reasonably hospitable environment if you have the right clothes and sufficient water. There is no potable water in the wilderness, and the temperature varies about 40 degrees between sunrise and 2:00 p.m. Most hazards of the Wilderness are obvious, except one. An uncapped gas well south of the Bisti (western) entrance, is leaking a small stream that now runs along the southern Bisti parking lot (nearest Rte. 371). This is likely pretty toxic water - check out the orange mineral deposit it is leaving and the lack of plant life in it, before you decide it can be filtered.
Best Times to Hike
Walking in Bisti is usually most pleasant in the morning, March to early June and September to November. December/January mornings are prone to be around 10˚ Fahrenheit (about -10˚ Celsius) or colder. Summer sunrise will be 65˚ F, but quickly heat up - July at 2:00 p.m. will be close to 100˚ F (35˚ C). Temperatures can climb from 50˚F at 7:00 a.m., to 80˚F at noon on an ordinary May day. The sun's heat, both direct and reflected from the sand, can be surprisingly intense even at 80˚F (about 25˚ C). I try to start walking at sunrise and finish by noon, except in winter.
Sunrise is usually calm, and the light from the east creates nice shadows that add contrast to the sights. By 11:00 most mornings, a west wind begins to blow from the Chuska Mountains. Afternoons are usually windy and it is not uncommon for a squall to blow off the Chuskas.
Sunrise is usually calm, and the light from the east creates nice shadows that add contrast to the sights. By 11:00 most mornings, a west wind begins to blow from the Chuska Mountains. Afternoons are usually windy and it is not uncommon for a squall to blow off the Chuskas.
About the Editor
I used to live in New Mexico and enjoyed my visits to the Wilderness. I am reasonably familiar with it, but I have no training in geology, biology or paleontology. What I say in this site is generally repeated from conversations with BLM employees. You can contact me at Tom Dean [no spaces, all lower case], at gwi dot net.
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