Bisti Wilderness Area

Egg Factory- Bisti Wilderness

Bisti Wilderness Area is located Southeast of Farmington, New Mexico on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.  It is mostly undeveloped, devoid of trails or footpaths.  On the day of my visit, I was lucky that the temperature was relatively mild, despite the partly sunny skies.  The area known as the Egg Factory, shown above, represented the farthest extent of my hike into this wilderness.  I'm guessing that I hiked somewhere between five and ten miles round trip to find this area.  

Since the landscape in this spot seemed to be nearly monochromatic, I decided to process this image as a black and white.  I guess time will tell whether or not I will continue that approach.

Sandstone Sculptures- Bisti Wilderness

I understand that the Bisti Wilderness is believed to have once been under an ancient sea, and that the mixture of harder sandstone on top of softer layers of clay is considered to be responsible for the oddly shaped rock and hoodoos found here.  There is also an abandoned iridium mine in the Bisti Wilderness.

Hoodoos- Bisti Wilderness

No handout maps of Bisti Wilderness are available at the entrance to the site.  There is, however, a large posted map at the entrance.  As I wandered among the strange rock formations, my tired feet were wishing that I had taken a digital photograph of that map to help navigate the area.  I'd recommend doing so for anyone considering a visit.