Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in northwestern New Mexico was formed long ago, before there was a place called Four Corners or people to give it that name. Today, this wilderness area of 45,000 acres under the authority of the Bureau of Land Management is a popular destination for adventurous outdoor enthusiasts who want to explore this striking scenery featuring otherworldly sandstone formations, petrified wood, and fossils. Both hiking and primitive camping are allowed here without a fee year-round.

Although Canyonlands National Park is Utah’s largest national park at more than 500 square miles, it is also the state’s least visited. Even in 2021 when many national parks were breaking attendance records, as did Canyonlands, it saw 911,000 visitors, about half of the number who went to nearby Arches National Park. Its average annual attendance is a much smaller 400,000 people, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll never have to wait to enter the park. Let’s discover what there is to see and do at Canyonlands and how you can make the most out of your visit.