Last updated: March 26, 2021
Place
Whipple Point
NPS Photo/Hallie Larsen
Quick Facts
Location:
Whipple Point is about 4 miles from the north entrance of the park.
Significance:
Overlooks the Painted Desert, Pintado Point, and Pilot Rock.
Designation:
Thirty-Fifth Parallel Route was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 (also known as Beale Camel Trail)
Amenities
3 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Scenic View/Photo Spot
Whipple Point is a Painted Desert overlook named for Lt. Amiel W. Whipple, leader of an expedition by the U.S. government. In 1853 Whipple led explorations for the first transcontinental railroad route to the Pacific Ocean, near the 35th parallel (which runs through this location). He was the first to document the petrified wood deposits of the Black Forest and named Lithodendron Creek (Wash). The view looks towards Pintado Point and Pilot Rock, both capped with the basalt Bidahochi Formation above the red Chinle Formation of the Painted Desert.