The Bisti Wilderness is a 41,000 acre  designated wilderness area located south of Farmington, N.M., and adjoins a larger wilderness area called the De-Na-Zin Wilderness. Elevation ranges between 5,400 -6800 ft. The landscape is quite stark and desolate, with many layers of shale, coal, sandstone, and silt exposed throughout the wilderness. Time, wind, and rain have eroded portions of the topography into an eerie world of hoodoos, outcroppings, mounds, and pinnacles that appear to be from a fantasy world. The Bisti Wilderness is not as well known as  other  magnificent landmarks of the American southwest such as Canyonlands, Monument Valley, or the Grand Canyon, but offers the photographer many photographic opportunities without the crowds. Oversight of the wilderness is through the  Bureau of Land Management.