Painted Desert.—Erosion cutting across the many colored beds of shale and sandstone produced the “Painted Desert.”
Puerco River Ranger Station.—To enter monument, secure automobile permit, 50 cents. Visit Puerco Indian Ruin back of ranger station. Ruin indicates 150 to 160 rooms. Built 800 to 900 years ago. To leave monument, get clearance.
Newspaper Rock.—Side road ¼ mile. Fine trail—12 to 15 minutes. Remarkable prehistoric Indian “writings” (petroglyphs) probably 800 to 900 years old. Made by chipping through outer dark sandstone surface with sharp tool, probably of petrified wood. The many interesting figures, symbolic designs, and characters have never been interpreted. Please do not deface them.
Lower Blue Forest Drive.—Fine side road—½ mile to parking area. Typical badlands exposures.
Blue Forest Connecting Trail.—Gravel trail—1 mile long—50 to 60 minutes. Leads to Upper Blue Forest Parking Area, where driver can meet anyone walking across trail. Logs on 3 levels. The only forest with pink logs. Remarkable “chip” piles.
Upper Blue Forest Drive.—Good graveled road—3 miles to parking area. Fine panoramic view of Blue Forest badlands and Puerco River Valley. Conglomerate capped mesa. Head of Blue Forest Connecting Trail.
Agate Bridge.
Agate Bridge Trail.—5 to 10 minutes. Petrified log, 111 feet long, forms natural bridge; span about 40 feet. Erosion of sandstone by rain water produced this bridge. Pedestal Log a short distance south.
First Forest.—Fine side road—8 to 10 minutes. Highly colored, broken logs very abundant, eroding from conglomerate bed that caps mesa.