Badlands

Ross

Member
Joined
May 18, 2012
Messages
295
If all went well, getting perfect weather every day of my 2 week vacation, I figured I’d have 3 days spare to get from Hanksville to Denver via quite a detour to New Mexico’s badlands.
Many people suggested they were so extensive they needed 3 days at the very least to see a fair amount,so I’d researched hard to try and figure out what appeared to be highlights and hiking routes.

It was made more complicated by the fact my AWD had low clearance and some approaches were sandy and infrequently visited so I was concerned about getting stuck and missing my international flight home. And also I wanted to get sunset photos, but some people had reported struggling to find their way back to cars in the dark.

Anyway the long drive to New Mexico left me with just enough time to reach this feature for sunset and camp there.

_MG_0211imp.jpg



_MG_0208imp.jpg

Without GPS co ordinates I would not have found it. But once there I intended to play around with my camera for both sunset and sunrise.

_MG_0243imp.jpg


_MG_0220imp.jpg



_MG_0227imp.jpg

Once dark, I played around with my headlight.


_MG_0236imp3crop2_edited-1.jpg

Morning would be better to try a sunburst


_MG_0249imp2.jpg

only met 2 people while hiking out the next morning.
I knew some good hoodoos were south of here but looking out across the vast desert it was impossible to pick them out and it seemed a lot further than in reality it was. I couldn’t afford to get lost or I would miss the main Bisti area.
After a few changes of mind on weather to hike south, I went for it and found this feature I was hunting.

_MG_0265imp.jpg


_MG_0259imp2.jpg


Some other nice hoodoos were within sight so I went to explore.

_MG_0280imp.jpg


_MG_0302imp2.jpg

but I didn’t stray further to a third area about another 1-2 miles away as I was gain to get to the cracked eggs before dark.....and the GPS got me back to the tent and then the car. I finally saw two people, although they barely spoke English (Germans I think)

At Bisti there were around 6 vehicles. With a full pack I took in a lot of the rims before reaching the cracked eggs for sunset where I camped alone again after a 7 hour hiking day.

_MG_0321imp.jpg

While waiting I took a liking to this feature, which I rather unimaginatively refer to as the boot.


_MG_0336imp.jpg


_MG_0354imp.jpg


The light kept changing

_MG_0345imp.jpg


_MG_0378imp2.jpg

Some clouds finally arrived.

_MG_0367imp.jpg



_MG_0361imp.jpg

_MG_0378imp2.jpg

Morning wasn't quite as good

_MG_0407imp.jpg


_MG_0396imp2.jpg

Time to go exploring. The next day was equally long - around 7 hours - as valleys led to side bowls and valleys.

_MG_0434imp.jpg

I found some of the petrified wood. Not beautifully polished up like in London's Natural History Museum, but great to see it in its natural habitat and the way it had survived on its own platform.

_MG_0437imp.jpg

_MG_0451imp.jpg


It was all fascinating but with much of it looking similar I always had an eye out hoping to find any extra special features.
It meant that I added some extra exploration to my planned routes but it was all fun.

_MG_0452imppano.jpg
_MG_0455imp.jpg _MG_0472impcrop.jpg _MG_0498imp.jpg _MG_0501imp.jpg _MG_0513imp.jpg _MG_0529imp.jpg _MG_0533imp.jpg _MG_0466imppano.jpg _MG_0523imp.jpg


After hiking from 6-1pm rather than get to the car and drive round to the next big valley and hike 3 miles to the Bisti wings I decided to pick my way north through a maze of bentonite hills. It was shorter and passed some hoodoo gardens.


_MG_0540impcrop.jpg


Heading backwards chronologically, I'd also enjoyed the badlands around Caineville. The plan was to get on the south mesa, but when we woke up after a night of rain you couldn't even see the top and the Fremont would be flowing too hard. But by the end of the day we decided to try the steeper but shorter North Mesa. The bentonite was pretty sticky and any wetter and we would not have made it.

_MG_9335imp.jpg


_MG_9339imp2crop2.jpg

I'd driven through these several times before, but now I wanted an aerial view to take in the scale of these eroded hills.

_MG_9354imp.jpg


_MG_3941-9fourthresized.jpg

The Henrys came into view.

_MG_9355imp.jpg



_MG_9357imp2.jpg

First sight of this bowl was a real wow moment. But having made it 90% of the way up, somehow we couldn't find the last bit to the top. We reached as far as a 6ft step which with a partner assist wouldn't have been too hard, but the partner would have been standing on a narrow ledge with a major vertical drop inches away. A mistake by either would have dire consequences...and we'd need to come down it. The three of us decided it wasn't worth the risk. (Since then, I've been told there is an easier way, but we didn't find it)


_MG_9358imp.jpg


_MG_9365imp.jpg


_MG_9368imp.jpg



_MG_9371.impjpg.jpg


_MG_9373imp.jpg


_MG_9372imp.jpg


_MG_9377imp.jpg

A great day was finished off with a view of Factory Butte at sunset.


_MG_9382imp.jpg
 

Attachments

  • _MG_0383imp4.jpg
    _MG_0383imp4.jpg
    122.5 KB · Views: 16
  • _MG_9336imp.jpg
    _MG_9336imp.jpg
    122.1 KB · Views: 15
  • _MG_9339imp2crop2.jpg
    _MG_9339imp2crop2.jpg
    84.3 KB · Views: 16
  • _MG_9356imp.jpg
    _MG_9356imp.jpg
    121.5 KB · Views: 18
  • _MG_9357imp2.jpg
    _MG_9357imp2.jpg
    137.3 KB · Views: 16
How much water did you haul in with you?
 
Can't remember that well, but not that much, maybe 3 litres each place. But I never got too hot as it was October and first night I didn't start hiking until maybe 4.30pm, used some for camp, then next morning I started at dawn when it was cool and by 11ish was back at the car where I had plenty before driving to the next place where again I'd avoided mid-day sun hiking from about 3pm-7pm. The next day I didn't really feel the heat as there seemed to either be a strong breeze when it was pure blue sky, & when the breeze died down a thin white cloud haze took the edge off. I was quite thirsty by the time I was back at the car, but not desperate - possibly because I put half a litre down for a photo & when I realised an hour later I couldn't find the spot to retrieve it. But yes, summer would be altogether different
 
Beautiful photos! I've wondered often about the Bisti Badlands since driving past them once during a road trip to Chaco. Definitely adding them to my must-visit list now.
 
Now I'm sorry I didn't go to NM with you. Nice pics.

There are a couple of areas you can drive right up to and camp that I didn’t make it to. Maybe one day. but it’s a long way from you. I wouldn’t have had time for it all anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Fascinating and beautiful photos. We keep putting Bisti Badlands on the back burner, but we need to change that, thanks for sharing.
The Factory Butte photos are also amazing.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top