Harsh Beauty of the Painted Desert © 2010 Bo Mackison
A portion of the Painted Desert is located within the boundaries of Petrified Forest National Park located near the eastern border of Arizona. The Painted Desert gets its name from the amazing, varied colors of rock – reds, oranges, pinks, lavenders, grays. This photograph was taken in October, and rain had recently passed through the region. The badlands I remembered from an earlier August visit were no longer brown and lifeless, but popping with a multitude of green plants and yellow flowers.
Painted Desert © 2010 Bo Mackison
The area is covered by the geological Chinle formation which is a soft layer of earth consisting mainly of mud, sandstone, and volcanic ash. The texture of the soft rock is easily eroded and staining by water flows and mineral deposits leaves remarkable colors.
Painted Desert VII © 2010 Bo Mackison
This is a designated wilderness area — hiking only a few hundred yards away from the main road provides for feelings of both exhilaration and desolation.
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Utterly expansive and seemingly limitless. Beautiful photo.
I’ve read on a clear winter day you can see a hundred miles. Wonder if that’s true!
Beautiful photos. I’d really love to visit this area someday.
Excellent shots of the area Bo! I’d love to spend the month of February there!
Absolutely breathtaking. I can see why it’s called the ‘painted’ desert. Such rich..gorgeous colors!
Incredible photos, Bo. This area has me totally fascinated and I’m wondering what the climate is like in this area. Do they experience extreme heat during the summer?
Bo, I love your photographs of the Painted Desert. The second vertical is breathtaking. (I am fond of verticals.) When I visit this part of the country, I am immediately calm. It’s like nothing I can see in the Midwest or when I am back East. Beautiful.