Manual MenuThe Bisti Badlands

Bisti Badlands 1 The Bisti Badlands were featured in an issue of New Mexico magazine in 1967. In Oct. 1967, Dennis and his roomate Bob set out to see this area. Another group in another car set out separately. This area may still be very remote, but it was way off any marked road in 1967. This part of New Mexico has some very picturesque scenery.
Bisti Badlands 2 The badlands have many elaborate-looking formations. It marks the shoreline of an ancient sea bed. Some areas look like surrealistic chess pieces. Other areas look like tidal pools, complete with fossilized mud that cracks and splits when stepped on. Dennis found a numerous round magnesium nodules and a piece of fossilized fern.
Petrified Fern Here is the petrified fern that Dennis found. This is one of the rarest kind of fossils, because most fern turned to coal.
Bisti Badlands 3 This area was really remote in the 1960's. Though the other group did reach this area, we never saw them. The Bisti Trading Post was not too far from the area shown in this photo.
Bisti Badlands 4 Here is one of the scenes specifically featured in New Mexico magazine, where the rock formations resembled chess pieces.

 

Last modified Friday, March 04, 2005