Petrified Forest National Park: Rim Trail (Blog Hike #193)

Trail: Rim Trail

Hike Location: Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National Park

Geographic Location: east of Holbrook, AZ (35.08009, -109.78360)

Length: 1.3 miles

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: May 2006

Overview: A flat trail with great views of the Painted Desert.

Park Information: http://www.nps.gov/pefo/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=720474
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: In northern Arizona, take I-40 to Petrified Forest National Park (exit 311).  Exit and go north to enter the park, paying the park entrance fee.  Follow the park road for nearly 2 miles to the signed parking area for Tawa Point.  Park in this parking lot.

The hike: Though Badlands rock formations occur at various points throughout the world, few are as colorful as those found in the desert of northeast Arizona.  For this reason, this section of land is often referred to as the Painted Desert.  Now the northern part of Petrified Forest National Park, millions of visitors come each year to see the colors of the Painted Desert.

Though the basin of the Painted Desert itself is protected as a wilderness area, marvelous views can be had from the rim, which is traversed by a 6 mile road (north of I-40) and this short hiking trail.  The road offers 9 designated overlooks (called “points), each of which gives a slightly different view of the Painted Desert.  All of these points are worth a stop.  This trail, the Rim Trail, connects two of these overlooks, Tawa Point and Kachina Point.  While you could simply drive to the point on each end, the trail offers a first-hand experience of the rim environment and provides an extended opportunity to view the colors of the Painted Desert.

From the parking lot for Tawa Point, walk down the blacktop path to the overlook itself and take a few minutes to observe the colorful horizontal bands that form the Painted Desert.  Each band represents a different kind of rock.  At the top is a dull white band, a very hard layer of sandstone.  Below the sandstone lies several bands of red-orange-yellow rocks, soft, crumbly rock that is easily eroded by water.  These bands are called claystone, and the colors are determined by the minerals found in the rock.  For example, the red bands have high concentrations of iron oxide.  Deep, steep gullies appear as tiny ditches from this point and show you where water runs off.  The desert basin itself is a dry, dusty yellow dotted with desert plants.

View into desert from Tawa Point

            The trail departs the left side of the overlook (as you look toward the desert) and descends slightly.  Small knee-high signs point out some of the plants that inhabit the rim, while larger interpretive signs give details about the surrounding rock formations.  Notice the white rock underneath your feet, as it is the same as the sandstone capping the formations in the basin to your right.

View down rim toward Kachina Point

            The trail dips down to pass over a few drainages, then rises back to the rim level.  All along the park road is visible to the left and the Painted Desert visible to the right.  Looking ahead you can see the orange stucco Painted Desert Inn, a National Historic Landmark, getting closer.  As you make your final approach to the inn, the trail becomes less well-defined, as several branches head out in various directions.  All of these branches eventually lead to the inn and the adjacent paved Kachina Point access trail, the end of the Rim Trail.

View north into wilderness area from Kachina Point

            The view from Kachina Point is similar to that at Tawa Point.  Restrooms are provided in season at Kachina Point.  Looking down into the basin from Kachina Point, one can see a trail running along through the desert into the wilderness area.  The beginning of this trail can be found on the north side of the inn.  While it is tempting to hike into the basin itself, one should not attempt such a trip without adequate preparation, including food and at least 1 gallon of water.  The basin looks shallow but is in fact nearly 1000 feet below you, and the trail into the basin is very steep and hot.  Unless such preparations have been made, you should retrace your steps along the Rim Trail to your car at Tawa Point to complete the hike.