Blue Mesa Trail - Petrified Forest National Park

Our May 2015 visit to Petrified Forest National Park continued with a walk on the one mile Blue Mesa Trail. This trail starts at the sixth pullout on the loop portion of Blue Mesa Scenic Road. A wind shelter is located at the trailhead. The trail quickly descends 100 feet to the base of the mesa before branching into a loop that explores the badlands. The entire surface of the trail is paved, but it is not suitable for mobility devices due to the steep descent. A small bridge spans a chasm near the trailhead. Handrails are provided along the path leading to, crossing, and proceeding away from the bridge. Because we hiked the trail immediately after an overnight and morning rain, we had the trail almost to ourselves. The varied cloud cover produced patterns of light and shadow that seemed to shift the colors of the rocks before our eyes. That is part of what makes Blue Mesa one of our favorite places. We enjoyed the walk so much that we walked the loop portion twice.

Blue Mesa is composed of deposits of gray, blue, purple and green mudstones and capped with a sandstone conglomerate. The rocks are some of the oldest in the Chinle Formation and some of the oldest visible in the park. The Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation is much newer, so any petrified wood found in the Blue Mesa Member was deposited much later and higher in layers that have eroded away. Since the petrified wood is mostly quartz, it doesn't erode as quickly as the layers it was formed in. Instead of seeing whole logs in this area, only sections and fragments are visible as they have tumbled downhill from their former locations.

Other than a wind sheltered picnic table, there are no facilities at Blue Mesa. The wind atop the mesa is often very brisk. There is no shade along the trail. Even though the trail is only one mile, take plenty of water, possibly a salty snack, and use plenty of sunscreen. Cellphone coverage is sporadic on top of the mesa and non-existent below the rim.

A stone lion guards the northern end of the mesa

As lower layers erode, harder layers above shift and fall

The trail descends rapidly into the badlands of the mesa

One of many ravines in the mesa

The only bench along the trail is located about halfway down the descent

The descent continues along the left ridge

The broken edges of this piece of petrified wood allude to its long journey to its current location

More petrified wood in a gully

Muted colors under an overcast sky

 

Looking across the valley to the overlook at the seventh pullout

Approaching the western end of the trail

 

Amazing details have been preserved

A section of a branching tree

Outer layers have been chipped away along the tumbling journery

More petrified wood in the gully between the purple, rust and cream colored hills

A mudflat similar to this was the catalyst for converting the wood to stone

Each layer tells a story

The rotten interior has been preserved for ages

As the rock dries, the hues move toward pastels

More of the amazing petrified wood

Clearing skies bring shifting colors

Petrified wood fills a gully

Looking across the valley

The raging torrents of the morning have dried up

Beautiful colors

Erosion is one of the great forces of nature, even in a desert

Looking south from the southern end of the trail

One of several normally dry streams along the trail

Rock layers remind me of Neapolitan ice cream 

A jumble of petrified wood at the end of a ravine

The surface around this petrified wood has eroded leaving the wood on a pedestal

Looking through a gap in the hills

Mud and rock slides mask the horizontal layers of mudstone

Faces in stone

Sandstone conglomerate atop the mesa

Looking back down the trail

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.