The Painted Desert: A Natural Masterpiece in Arizona

The Painted Desert is an expansive region of rocky badlands and buttes, encompassing more than  93,500 acres in Northern Arizona.

This vast landscape features layers of rock in hues of lavender, red, orange ,pink, and gray. The various colors are the result of the different mineral content of the sandstone, mud stone, and shale of the Chinle Formation. It is amazing how beautiful dirt and rocks can be!

The section of the Painted Desert that we visited is located in the northern part of the Petrified Forest National Park. Take exit 311 going east or west on I-40.

I would recommend allowing at least a couple of hours for the 28-mile drive through the park. The first part, north of the interstate, will be the Painted Desert. The rest of the drive is the Petrified Forest. Both have many place to stop and walk around.

Address:

1 Park Road, PO Box 2217
Petrified Forest, AZ 86028

Happy Travels! 

Discovering the Cactus Forest at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona

The Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections. They are located on either side of the city of Tucson, Arizona. 

The park is named after the saguaro cactus, native to its desert environment.

In the eastern Rincon Mountain District, Cactus Forest Drive is a paved eight mile drive with beautiful views of the desert. There are many pull overs and hiking trails on the route.

There are around 1200 species of plants in the Rincon Mountain District and about 400 species in the Tucson Mountain District.

 The saguaro cactus is the largest of the 25 species of cactus located in the park. It can grow up to 60 feet tall and weigh up to 4800 pounds. If the conditions are right, it can live up to 200 years.

All of these photos were taken on the drive in the Rincon Mountain district.

Address:

3693 S Old Spanish Rd

Tucson, AZ 85730

Happy Travels!