The Painted Desert: where rocks morph into fiery colors
The Painted Desert is a vast rocky badlands alongside historic Route 66 that stretches from Arizona’s Grand Canyon to the Petrified Forest. Funny little tidbit: The Painted Desert isn’t a desert at all; it’s actually the largest intact Grassland in the Southwest.
We had no idea the Painted Desert covered such a wide area and we weren’t sure what to expect from this national park. The park receives little to no recognition, or visitors, in comparison to its neighbor the Grand Canyon, and to be perfectly honest we weren’t convinced it was worth freezing our butts off (it was 20 degrees) or the drive.
What eventually sparked our interest was the rumor of how the park received its name: While standing at the edge of this vast badlands a Spanish explorer is claimed to announce “El Desierto Pintado” after watching the vibrant colors light up the landscape at sunset. Sounds like a photographers Dream right? Could this area possibly live up to such a name, or deserve the National Park status?
We started our visit at the Petrified Forest which had us locked in frozen stares and posing as dinosaurs, but when the sun set and the Painted Desert lit up like a fire cracker, we were awe struck. Rocks came in every hue from deep lavenders and rich grays to oranges, pinks and fiery reds. It seemed wherever the sun kissed the rocks the view would morph and burst into a radiant display of Technicolor.
These are scenes from story books and fairy tales, the place where mystical creatures magically appear with the touch of the sun….or, at least that’s what we were thinking. What actually created this visual masterpiece was millions of years of violent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and floods, not magic (or was it). If that doesn’t get your brain swirling with visuals and thought, the sight of perfectly striped layers of sandstone and clay ought to do the trick.
So, if you haven’t figured it out by now, we can see how the park got its name.
From our experience the Painted Desert is best at Sunrise and Sunset as the colors truly ‘pop’ off nature’s canvas. Don’t expect more than a few roadside pullouts as we were let down with the lack of hiking in this area (there is the Rim Trail however it is flat and not much different than the scenery you’ll see while driving). The Painted Desert Inn was closed both times we passed by, which is a shame as the recent restoration looks beautiful (don’t expect to stay at the inn, or see it at night like the Park Website shows as the park closes at Dusk). So the short of it: If you’re planning a visit to the Petrified Forest make sure you swing by the Painted Desert and make sure you’re there for Sunset!
