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De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Name: De-Na-Zin Wilderness
Rating: 4.00

Type: Trail

Length: 8.20 Miles

Elevation Gain: N/A

Cost: Free

Rating:

(4.00)1

Difficulty: 2stars

(2.00)

Solitude:

(4.50)

ADA Accessible: No

Bikes Allowed: N/A

Dogs Allowed: Yes

Interpretive Guide: No

City: Bloomfield

County: San Juan

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Photos

View of some more hoodoos. (Photo by Blaze)

These bizarre formations caused by erosion are called hoodoos. (Photo by Blaze)

The landscape is both bizarre and beautiful. (Photo by Blaze)

There are a lot of pieces of petrified wood scattered throughout the wilderness. (Photo by Blaze)

There are numerous hills and canyons that look very similar. Take a GPS to avoid getting lost. (Photo by Blaze)

The texture of the dirt mounds is fascinating. (Photo by Blaze)

There are countless mounds comprised of multi-colored layers of minerals. (Photo by Blaze)

There is a register at the trailhead. It starts off as a trail, but soon opens up into a wide open space. (Photo by Blaze)

You have to drive along a dirt road (Indian Route 7023) for about 13 miles to get to the trailhead. (Photo by Blaze)

Log Entries

De-Na-Zin Wilderness
By Blaze on 8/15/2014
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 16.30 Miles Duration: 6 hours, 5 minutes

This location was on my Bucket List for a long time and I'm glad to have finally made this hike. The De-Na-Zin wilderness is hard to describe in everyday terms. It's more like being on another planet. The hills are comprised of multi-colored minerals and shaped by erosion into bizarre looking formations called hoodoos.

Getting to this location requires you to leave the paved road and drive in on a dirt road for about 13 miles. A 4WD vehicle would be ideal, but not necessary if you drive carefully. I did it in my Honda Accord.

There are no actual trails. Just a lot of wide open space to walk around in. The wilderness is quite large, however, and it can be easy to get lost or disoriented, so I highly recommend you use a GPS and record your tracks. There is no water or facilities anywhere, so exercise due caution.

On my solo hike, I tried to explore as much of it as I could on my own in 2 days. I hiked 8.2 miles the first day and 8.1 the second day. It was hot, but otherwise the weather was beautiful. Awesome hike!