Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [323]
In 1947, Fred Kabotie, the renowned Hopi artist whose work also graces the Desert Watchtower at the Grand Canyon, painted several murals inside, including one that depicted the coming-of-age journey of the Hopi to the sacred Zuni salt lake. Kabotie's murals may have helped save the building, which had severe structural problems caused by expansion and contraction of the clay underneath it. When it was threatened with demolition in the 1960s, preservationists cited the value of Kabotie's art as they called for protecting the building. The Painted Desert Inn was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. A yearlong restoration project was completed in the fall of 2005; check at the visitor center for current hours.
Day Hikes
Agate House
.9 mile RT. Easy to moderate. Access: .5-mile walk down access trail from Rainbow Forest Museum.
An enjoyable walk takes you to Agate House, a pueblo that archaeologists believe was briefly occupied around A.D. 1100. (Archaeologists suspect a brief occupation because very little trash was found in the area.) Colorful bits of petrified wood dot the ground on the way to the eight-room pueblo, which sits atop a knoll overlooking a vast expanse of desert. Made from petrified wood and mortar, Agate House must have been one of the prettiest dwellings anywhere in its time—a house of jewels, on a hill. Workers reconstructed the pueblo's largest room in the 1930s.
Blue Mesa Trail
1 mile RT. Moderate. Access: Blue Mesa turnoff on scenic drive.
This paved loop trail descends steeply to the floor beneath the blue-, gray-, and white-striped badlands at Blue Mesa— some of the prettiest land in the park. You may notice that it's hard to determine the size of the hills: Because they lack vegetation, there is little to provide a sense of scale. At the bottom, you can observe how the different colors of these hillsides streak and blend where the clay has washed into drainages. Look for small fossils, abundant in the area. The trail has numerous interpretive panels, spaced to give you a chance to catch your breath as you walk.
Crystal Forest Trail
.8 mile RT. Moderate. Access: Crystal Forest stop on scenic drive.
This paved trail, which includes a few steep grades, reminds us of why it's important to leave the petrified wood in place. As in other parts of the park, there is evidence here of where visitors have broken off, and continue to break off, pieces of petrified wood. What's left is still lovely, though. Still, it's hard not to wonder what this area looked like before the scavengers arrived.
Giant Logs Trail
.4 mile RT. Easy. Access: Rainbow Forest Museum.
This paved trail loops past some of the park's largest petrified logs, including "Old Faithful," which spans nearly 9 feet at its base. The trail has 11 stops, each corresponding to a page in a guide (free to borrow, 50¢ to keep) available in the museum. At each stop, you'll find out about the trees or the area's geology. Constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the trail has some steps, making access difficult for people in wheelchairs.
Long Logs Trail
.6 mile RT. Easy. Access: .5-mile walk down access trail from Rainbow Forest Museum.
This relatively flat, paved loop will give you an idea of the immensity of the Araucarioxylon trees that grew in this area during the Triassic period. Many of the longest, including one that measures 116 feet, lie alongside the trail on the north end of the loop. You'll see places where petrified logs protected the softer clay underneath them and prevented it from eroding. The trail also takes you within a few feet of the rugged badlands. The different colored layers are caused by mineral deposits in the clay.
Painted Desert