Red Hill Saddletop - Bisti Badlands
by Debra Martz
Title
Red Hill Saddletop - Bisti Badlands
Artist
Debra Martz
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Red Hill Saddletop - Bisti Badlands by Debra Martz The very few instructions to be found stated to leave the parking area and head to the Red Hill with the Saddletop and go around the right side and begin your exploring!! No trails here!
I ran across the Bisti Badlands/De-Na-Zin Wilderness a few years ago while searching for new places to see in New Mexico. Finally the time came that we would make the trip there. The closest lodging and RV parks are in Farmington and we arrived just before the visitors center closed. Oddly enough they only had one printed letter size paper with some latitude/longitude directions with a few very small pictures. The lady I spoke with knew the badlands existed but having lived there 14 years had never gone to see this unearthly type of beauty.....because, she said, "there are no restrooms." What? Oh well.... I picked up the Farmington Vacation Guide and found a little more info in it. And I quote, "If you want high-priced, slickly manufactured entertainment, go to Disneyland; if you want a cinematic prism through which to have a multi-dimentional experience, consider the Badlands of the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. That fact there are no marked trails in Bisti leads to a freeform style of wandering, where the paths you choose are entirely up to you and your instincts. These are badlands, meaning you will be exposed to the elements and there are no water sources, so it is important to prepare accordingly."
And also, as the lady said, no facilities!
As for the freeform style of wandering, it is important to find the taller landforms as markers....they even disappear as you wander so make some cairns when possible. Just when you think you know where you are going, its a deadend and you turn around and select another route. It is a maze out there and I quickly discovered how someone could easily get lost...as my husband and I didn't agree on each and every turn we needed to make!
Uploaded
October 12th, 2017
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Viewed 497 Times - Last Visitor from Buxton, ME on 04/24/2024 at 9:16 PM
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