National Park Grand Canyon National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
The Painted
Map by Erwin Ralsz
WHAT IS The Painted Desert is a well-known Formation. While several rock layers in THE PAINTED DESERT? Arizona landscape of very colorful "bad northeastern Arizona are colorful, it is the lands" extending across northeastern particular beauty of the Chinle Formation Arizona. (Badlands are intricately dis that gave rise to the notion of a Painted sected, barren, and rounded landscapes that Desert. Although the Chinle Formation can typically occur in arid regions where weak be seen elsewhere, in the Painted Desert the rock is prevalent). The Painted Desert is exposure of this rock is long and continu distinctly defined by exposures of a rock ous. layer known as the Chinle (Chin-lee)
The Painted Desert is exposed in a of Winslow, Arizona along State Highway WHERE TO SEE band of rock trending northwest from 87. Winslow is 140 miles from Grand THE PAINTED DESERT Holbrook, Arizona to The Gap, Arizona. Canyon's South Rim. This band is wider in the Holbrook area and narrows significantly to the northwest. Few Closest to Grand Canyon, the Painted roads provide access to the Painted Desert. Desert is exposed in a narrow band along U.S. Highway 89 from about 3 miles north Unquestionably, the most famous part of Cameron, Arizona (at milepost#470) to of the Painted Desert is at Petrified Forest the small village of The Gap farther north. National Park, 190 miles from the South A small but visually striking example of the Rim of Grand Canyon. The Chinle Forma Painted Desert lies along U.S. Highway 160 tion in Petrified Forest National Park is about a mile east of its junction with U.S. notable not only for its highly varied colors Highway 89. but also for its rich concentration of fossils, including petrified wood. Such a concen For those travelling the scenic road tration led to the creation'of Petrified Forest that connects Wupatki National Monument National Monument in 1906; in 1962, with Sunset Crater National Monument, the Congress established Petrified Forest Painted Desert lies off to the east; there is a National Park. Think of Petrified Forest specific viewpoint designated as an National Park as "Painted Desert National overlook for the Painted Desert along this Park." road. The view from this overlook, however, is from afar and does not provide Another accessible but more limited an intimate experience with the nuances of expanse of-thePaintedT)esertis-at Little -die Painied-Desertr- Painted Desert County Park, 15 miles north
CAN YOU SEE You cannot see the Painted Desert with powerful binoculars who knows THE PAINTED DESERT from Grand Canyon National Park because exactly where to look can see the Painted the Painted Desert is too far away. Certain Desert; practically, one has to leave the FROM GRAND CANYON? books and maps indicate that the Painted park to experience this particular scenery). Desert extends to the eastern edge of the From the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon park, but unfortunately these books and what can be seen is something referred to as maps are in error. (Technically, along the "high desert" - but not the geographically East Rim Drive at Desert View, a person precise Painted Desert.