Blue Mesa Scenic Road - Petrified Forest National Park

Blue Mesa is one of our favorite places in Petrified Forest National Park. Blue Mesa Scenic Road turns east from Park Road 15.8 miles from the north entrance and 12.8 miles from the south entrance. The round-trip detour along the road is five miles, with 1.7 miles of that as a one-way loop that climbs atop the mesa and descends again before rejoining the two-way portion to return to Park Road.

There are seven pullouts along the loop portion of the road. Three pullouts are clustered on the east side of the loop with views of the badlands on the east face of the mesa. Three additional pullouts are clustered at the northern end of the loop. The last of those three is the trailhead for the Blue Mesa Trail that descends to the valley floor. The final pullout on the west side has a short, paved walkway to an overlook of the valley floor.

The colors of the various siltstones that comprise the mesa are breathtaking in any weather, but especially so when the ground is wet or when clouds are passing overhead as both conditions shift the perceived colors. We were fortunate enough to visit before, during, and after a rainstorm in May 2015.

Petrified wood emerging from the slowly eroding siltstone

A small unnamed mesa to the southeast

Looking across the top of Blue Mesa to the return leg of the road

Badlands east of the road

More of the badlands

Morning rain has turned normally dry washes into fast flowing creeks

The point at the north end of Blue Mesa

Looking down to the scrub land northeast of the mesa

Shadows shift the color palette with Pilot Rock on the horizon

A momentary break in the clouds

Blue Mesa trailhead

Rain quickly flows off the mesa

Fractured sandstone marks the northern end of the mesa

A short paved walkway leads to the last overlook

Looking northeast toward the Blue Mesa trailhead

View to the northwest includes part of the trail

A row of incredibly colored ridges to the west

More color to the west

Petrified logs near the overlook

Shadows and rain darken the landscape

Clouds and shadows to the south

An entry fee of $10 per private vehicle is good for seven consecutive days. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($10 for lifetime), Access Pass (free with documented disability) and Military Annual Pass (free for active duty personnel).

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm.