We started our day at the Petrified Forest National Park. While we were driving to the Crystal Forest, we spotted several large petrified logs.
When we got to the Crystal Forest, we found out that the name “forest” truly did apply. We hiked a large loop through the Crystal Forest. There were numerous fallen trees that had petrified and broken because of the weight of the stone. Some of the trees are slowly being buried by sand.
There were more smaller pieces of petrified wood than you could count. Here is a sample of some that we saw. The colors and the shine of the minerals is beautiful.
This is what the Crystal Forest looked like where we hiked.
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Our next stop was the Jasper Forest. It was not as densely covered as the Crystal Forest, but it covered a much larger area.
The trail was not marked, but it was fairly clear where it went. It would have been really hard to get lost in such open space. There were several large rock formations that defined the area. The colors and the shapes were interesting.
We hiked down the rise from the ridge to here. From here we headed out to into the plain below.
Here are some samples of the petrified wood we found on our hike. We found large ones like these. We also saw places that looked like petrified sawdust because the pieces were so small.
This was our view from the plain in the middle of our hike.
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The Tepees stand for their shape, not for their color. The conical shape is different from anything else we have seen here.
When you look around the area, you can see how unique the brightly colored tepees really are.
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In the middle of the Petrified Forest there is an abandoned settlement. It is called Puerco Pueblo. In addition to the ruins, there are some petroglyphs on rocks in the area.
Route 66 used to pass through here. Now it is part of Interstate 40. As a memorial to Route 66, a rusting old Ford is sitting on a pedestal.
We are heading into the Painted Desert. The Painted Desert stretches from east of the Grand Canyon, through land in the Navajo Nation, and into the Petrified Forest. This is Lacey Point. We are on the rim of a portion of the Painted Desert.
There are lots of colored mounds around the area of Lacey Point. On the opposite side of the road it is much flatter.
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Just a little way down the road from Lacey Point is Whipple Point. There is another taller mountain nearby. Notice the layers of colors in the mountain. It is a key feature of the Painted Desert.
Pintado Point was our next location. It is an overlook where you can see off into the distance.
We took some zoomed photos of the mountains in the distance.
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Chinde Point exemplified the colorful layered paint of the Painted Desert. Everything had colored layers of multiple shades and hues.
As you look across the Painted Desert from above at Chinde Point, you can see why it is called the Painted Desert.
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At the Painted Desert Rim Trail, we hiked along the rim rather than driving. It was a different experience to walk from point to point on the trail. We could appreciate the variety and the subtle changes as we walked the path much better than you can when driving.
We got to stop some times just to take in the view rather than driving by and seeing it quickly from the car. Even though it was a little bit warmer, it was a good investment of our time.
We also got to see the plant life more. The variety of colors stood out more at a slower pace as well.
When we got to the next view point, we spent some time enjoying the broad vista before us.
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We also spent some time at the Painted Desert Inn. It is a small restaurant and gift shop at the view point. It is located on a part of old Route 66 that is still in use. It was fun to reminisce about the days of travel on Route 66. We talked about the ways travel has changed since interstate highways with others who recall the old roads as well.
After our visit at the Inn, we walked the trail back to our car.
Our day at the Petrified Forest was filled with variety, enjoyment, and lots of interesting places to visit.