The Wilderness Access Trail descends about 350 feet from the Painted Desert Inn on Kachina Point to the Lithodendron Wash. Once at the base of the point, the trail ends and a trek through the wilderness begins. We hiked a total of about 2.7 miles along the trail and across the wash during our May 2015 visit to Petrified Forest National Park. There is no water and no shade in the wash, so carrying and drinking water is imperative. In addition, sunscreen is highly recommended. This is a beautiful place and it would be very easy to lose track of time and your location. Always take a map and compass or at least a GPS unit and spare batteries when hiking off trail.
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| Topographic map with GPS hiking route |
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| Trail elevation profile |
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| Trailhead |
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| Surface quickly turns to loose gravel |
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| One of the few shady spots along the descent |
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| Pilot Rock |
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| Verbena, Indian Paintbrush and Mormon Tea |
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| White siltstone of the Black Forest Bed |
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| Another view of the Black Forest Bed siltstone |
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| Desert Poppies |
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| A section of a petrified log |
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| The wood texture and detail has been maintained in the rock |
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| Additional petrified log sections |
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| The trail follows the wash between the clay hills |
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| A rock cairn marks the trail |
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| Floodplain of the Lithodendron Wash |
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| Looking back at the last cairn below the Painted Desert Inn |
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| A footpath passes clay hills |
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| Great pressure has compressed the sedimentary layers |
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| Looking across the wash |
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| "Small" rocks litter the landscape |
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| The "small" rocks are larger than a picnic table |
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| Gullies cut through and around mesas in the wash |
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| After the clay erodes, the cap rock fractures and rolls downhill |
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| Narrowleaf Yucca in bloom |
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| Big floodplain and bigger sky |
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| A branch of the Lithodendron Wash |
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| Looking upstream |
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| The green valley means water must be just underground |
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| Another view of the valley |
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| Clay has dried and cracked under the desert sun |
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| Tree rings are still visible in the rock |
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| Shadows highlight the colored layers of clay |
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| The Painted Desert |
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.
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