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Tucked in the northwest corner
of New Mexico lies a fantastic landscape, equal
parts of fantasy and whimsy—the
Bisti Badlands. While these might be “badlands” for
travelers in the frontier west, they are “goodlands”
for photographers looking for an excellent
photographic experience. This designated wilderness
area is a challenging place, trail-less and
virtually trackless, with a paucity of visual clues
to aid navigation. Midday light is harsh, better
suited to scouting, forcing the photographer to
navigate in the twilight or pitch darkness to be on
site for the sweetest light, furthering the
navigational challenges.
Getting There
You will find Bisti a bit less
than 40 miles south of Farmington, NM , via NM Hwy
371. The turn-off onto County 7297 is well marked by
the customary brown sign designating federally
managed points of interest. Slow down when you see
the sign, it's easy to blow past. The gravel,
moderately wash-boarded County 7297 reaches a “T”
intersection in a bit over 1.5 miles, where you will
turn left, and drive another mile or so to reach
the trailhead. There appear to be no restrictions on
camping at the trailhead , but there are no
facilities whatsoever including water, and little
privacy for nature breaks. Farmington is close enough to
take a midday break if you are camping, and several
restaurants offer up great Southwestern food at
incredible prices. You can get a room in Farmington
and lose a little sleep driving back and forth if
you aren’t set up to camp.
When to Go
Summer is beastly hot in the badlands,
and winter can be quite cold. Cold, and also wet. Wet isn’t
good in Bisti—the bentonite-like clay turns to gumbo when
wet and you would have many pounds of mud clinging to each
foot with every step as well as leaving deep scars in the
playa. Not so much of a risk, really—you wouldn’t get far.
That leaves spring and fall where the temperatures are more
moderate. It is a good option if you are too early for the
best fall color in the aspens, as I was this year, or too
late.
Where to Go
Several guide books detail Bisti,
and you should read as much as you can find to help
plan your trip. An infinite number of photographic
points of interest are widely scattered throughout
the wilderness area, many obscure to casual
inspection. The whitish strata seems to hold most of
the hoodoos and other interesting rock/clay
formations, which helps to focus your efforts. A
full guide to the area is way beyond the scope of
this article, but this will get you started.
The Egg Factory
The whimsical and mysterious
“Egg Factory”, which goes by several similar names,
was the most interesting spot I found in my two days
in Bisti. This small area of eroded and etched
boulders is like nothing else I have found and has
too many potential images to capture in one setting.
I hope this description of key features on the hike
in will cut down on your scratch and sniff time.
As soon as you go through the
fence at the trailhead, bear to the right of a low
dark grey-black hill immediately in front of you to
the east. Hike generally northeast, paralleling some
low red hills to your left. In less than a
quarter-mile you will see a fence line to your left
which you follow almost a mile from the trailhead. After this mile you will reach
a “false corner” where the fence takes a bit of a
jog to the left, then soon makes an abrupt 90-degree
turn to the north. Set a GPS waypoint at this
corner, if you have one, to help backtrack in the
dark. That’s right, in the dark; if you stay for
best light you will be hoofing it by starlight or
moonlight, about 1.75 miles from your car.
From this fence corner, look
northeast for a double flat topped, sort of teepee
looking landmark that could be the stacks of some
nuclear plant. This will be at approximately a 60
degrees bearing. As you approach a low grey mesa
detour to the left around it and continue. As you
approach the double teepees, go to the left of them
as well, and generally follow along the narrow wash
that skirts it, a little more east, about a 75
degree bearing. Next you will see more low
grey mesas and a layer of white strata below.
Continue on that path; your target zone is the
rubble below those white hoodoos. The Egg Factory
will seem nondescript until you are upon it, at
which time the fantastic shapes will captivate you.
Photographic Hints
The more interesting
formations in Bisti have little intrinsic color,
lending themselves to black and white conversions or
B/W film photography, and otherwise take on color
based on the light hitting them. Auto white balance
will reduce the pleasing yellow / blue contrast from
sky light accentuated by low sun; consider a
daylight balance instead. Sure you can fix it in
RAW, but it's just one more step. The Egg Factory is
mainly an evening location, and for my taste, it
photographs best at the very edge of light. The low
ridges to the west prevent the formations getting
the very last drop of light, but what does hit is
still warm and sweet. The more southerly “eggs”
lose light first, followed quickly by the remaining
structures within a few more minutes. Get there with
plenty of time to scout your compositions, and fall
back to the north quickly retreating from the
encroaching shadows. Strong compositions looking
south as well as north offer more images than you
can make in one session. You just “can’t get all
these eggs out of the basket” on one evening (sorry,
couldn’t resist.) The high hills to the east block
first light, so this isn’t the spot to bust your
chops over for sunrise.
If you hold out for the last
bit of twilight’s glow then dark it will be on your
trail. Wait: there isn’t any trail. Every now and
then on your way in you should stop and look over
your shoulder to get your bearings. I found two
features helpful for the return hike. There is a
notch in the distant ridgeline many miles away which
is quite close to the bearing you wish to travel,
and it is silhouetted by afterglow for at least 45
minutes after sunset. The other is a group of
buildings that have visible lights at all times. You
will need to bear about 15 degrees or so to the
right of them (north). As you approach the trailhead
things will start to seem familiar. Chances are you
will have passed the fence corner and had that to
bear off as well.
Mornings
Morning light is difficult
because you need to have found your composition in advance.
Only by chance will you wander around in the dark
and have a great image at your feet in first light.
The formations on the north side of the broad Bisti
wash get earlier morning light in the fall, while
those on the south side, such as the Egg Factory,
remain in shadow for a while.
One excellent and very easy
option lies about five minutes walk to the west of
the trailhead. Many interesting stone sculptures,
some resembling chess pieces, wait for you there. Be
watchful of utility poles sneaking into your comp in
the distance, but they are easily avoided. You can
then walk back to your vehicle, have breakfast, and
go scout and photograph some more.
In Closing
Bisti offers more potential
for artistic expression than any place I have been
privileged to see in a long time. In two days I just
scratched the surface and got oriented to a small
fraction of what this wild place has to offer. It is
challenging and exhilarating and exotic and wildly
fragile. Put it on your list of places to visit, and
treat it kindly.
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