Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is one of the most otherworldly landscapes in the American Southwest, a sprawling badlands filled with hoodoos, crumbling sandstone spires, ancient petrified wood, and alien-looking rock formations sculpted by millions of years of erosion. There are no marked trails, which means composition is entirely up to you; look for clusters of hoodoos to frame against wide open sky, or get low and use a wide-angle lens to exaggerate the scale of the formations rising around you. Golden hour light is transformative here, casting warm shadows across the layered sediment and bringing out the reds, yellows, and grays in the rock. Overcast days also work well, softening contrast and revealing subtle color in the terrain. Download offline GPS maps before you arrive, wear sturdy footwear, and bring more water than you think you need since the area is remote and completely unmarked. (Bisti, New Mexico, United States)