Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Hoodoos, spires and natural arches form this other-worldly badlands created by erosion and weathering of land once covered by a sea. As waters receded lush river valleys formed but eventually disappeared, leaving layers of sandstone, shale and coal. The 41,170 acre wilderness was designated by Congress in 1984 to preserve its scenic and cultural value. Translated from the Navajo, Bisti means a large area of shale hills and De-Na-Zin denotes cranes. .