We visited the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert almost four weeks ago. At the time of this posting we are heading east and visiting friends and family as we continue toward home. Hope the smoke from the fire in Canada was not as bad as the news makes it appear.

This was our second trip to the Petrified Forest National Park. Sue and I last visited the Park in 2009 and the landscape is so stunningly beautiful that this time we thought we would dedicate an afternoon to hiking the trails.

A drive through the Petrified Forest National Park offers an opportunity to: (1) see a portion of the Painted Desert, (2) drive near a former section of Route 66, and (3) obviously, see wood that has become fossilized by dissolved minerals in ground water.

The northern section of the park provides easy access to the Painted Desert. Named by a Spanish explorer in 1540, the Painted Desert runs 150 miles from the east end of the Grand Canyon to the Petrified Forest. Most of the Painted Desert is in land controlled by the Navajo Nation and requires a permit for off-road access. The portion in the Painted Desert NP allows for both short and longer hikes into the colorfully-striated desert.

A rusted 1932 Studebaker marks a location where Historic Route 66 used to pass through the park.

Not to be missed is the grouping of Petroglyphs know as Newspaper Rock. Like Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, there are more than 650 of Petroglyphs clustered on a few rocks on the dessert floor. Direct access is not possible because of the unstable hillside that surrounds the carved rock. Viewing is only possible from a catwalk a few hundred feet above. This is one situation when a telephoto lens allows the best opportunity to see and photograph the Petroglyphs.

The Petrified Forest National Park is about 90 minutes east of Winslow, Arizona. You can easily drive though the park in a few hours (as we did in 2009 ) or spend most of the day if you hike in the Painted Desert section of the Park. I strongly recommend taking the time to hike the Blue Mesa Trail. It will take about an hour to hike but it affords the opportunity to see the Painted Desert region in a much more intimate way than stopping at the scenic overlooks. Unfortunately, maps detailing the hiking trails are not posted on the NPS website. They are only available by request at the visitor center, which is also a great place to begin your visit.

Thanks for following along with us.