]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/C9DBD9BC-D84E-944B-091F33DC41703233.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-C9DEF0E1-BD17-24A0-D185DF583E4466EC PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 1 National Park Service General welcome to the Petrified Forest National Park Audio Tour with instructions. Location: north entrance 110 no full 1 1 Location: north entrance

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Welcome to Petrified Forest National Park originally set aside to protect late Triassic fossil trees. Petrified forest remains one of the most unique parks in the country located in the surreal landscapes of the painted desert region. Petrified Forest is best known for its petrified wood but also preserves and protects millennia of human history. the endangered native Arizonan grassland, dark night skies, and very active research.

This tour will enable you to discover some of the stories of Petrified Forest National Park. There are two versions depending on where you enter the park. One starting on the south off of Highway 180, the other beginning in the north off of Interstate 40. The stops in between remain basically the same merely in reverse order. You have the ability to stop and start this tour at any time while you progress through the tour. Park activities in addition to this audio tour will be suggested, however, you are the ultimate decision maker. Don't worry if your visit doesn't include every suggested activity. Every visitor's motivation for coming to petrified forest is different and whether you hike into the wilderness or not, we're happy you're here.

Different times of year provide different challenges from ice and snow in the winter to heat and dehydration in the summer. Please be prepared for adverse weather and always bring plenty of water. Be sure to take some time to chat with a staff member at either of the two visitor centers to customize your experience based on your needs, interests, and abilities.

Instructions Listen to the audio tour. As you drive through the park, you can stop the tour at any point if you would like to walk a trail or take in the view at an overlook. Please follow the posted speed limits and watch for wildlife crossing the road. There is no removal or disturbing natural and cultural resources in the park whether that's petrified wood, pot shards, flowers, or super cute squirrels.

]]> Location: Main Painted Desert Community Complex parking area

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/C9E23DFA-089D-6F5A-1C2B2514DB062AB3.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-C9ED73FA-B07A-D823-A5DB15B6E9D99A54 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 2 National Park Service Welcome to the Petrified Forest National Park North Audio Tour and Painted Desert Community Complex amenities. Location: Main Painted Desert Community Complex parking area 30 no full 2 1 Location: Main Painted Desert Community Complex parking area

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Entering from exit 311 off of Interstate 40, you're coming into the park's north entrance. You can begin your trip through time at the Painted Desert Community Complex. There are amenities here such as restrooms, convenience store and gas station, gift shop, park film, diner, museum, demonstration lab, and the visitor center. The folks at the visitor center can answer any questions you might have and can provide information and handouts to suit your needs.

]]> Location: Painted Desert Community Complex

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/C9F39352-EBDD-B42A-B347C46CED4593E3.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-C9FCC980-A93C-9631-D7C5694F2C5EFE04 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 3 National Park Service Painted Desert Community Complex history. Location: Painted Desert Community Complex 79 no full 3 1 Location: Painted Desert Community Complex

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The Painted Desert Community Complex Known for his International-Style, Austrian American Richard Neutra built two important edifices in the National Park sites: the now demolished Cyclorama building at Gettysburg National Military Park and the Painted Desert Community Complex at Petrified Forest National Park. The low cluster of 23 structures makes up a self-contained community which seems to crouch in the windswept sagebrush. In 1958 Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander designed this complex to serve as the park's headquarters including administrative offices, maintenance, facilities, visitor and resident services and employee housing. Construction began in 1961. While the buildings were dedicated in October 1963, Neutra described the complex as a modern take on an ancient Puebloan village today. It is classified as a Historic District due to the architects, community planning and development and modern movement, International-Style architecture. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2016. A self-guided tour is available at the visitor center.

]]> Location: Tiponi Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CA0E1B6A-0B08-7C1F-CB1EE8E6E1E9119F.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CA0EE75D-CE4D-E015-AE23AD60E12D5B95 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 4 National Park Service Drive after the north Entrance Station with an introduction to the Chinle Formation. Location: Tiponi Point 47 no full 4 1 Location: Tiponi Point

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Past the entrance station a half mile beyond the vast open grassland, you come to the edge of HQ Mesa, an abrupt introduction to the Painted Desert. These colorful badland hills, flat-topped mesas, and sculpted buttes of the Painted Desert are primarily made up of the geological layers known as the Chinle Formation. The Chinle Formation is a series of sedimentary rock deposited by Late Triassic rivers, lakes, and streams over 200 million years ago within the Petrified Forest. The Chinle Formation is further divided to include, from oldest to youngest, the Blue Mesa Member, the Sonsela Member, the Petrified Forest Member, and the Owl Rock Member.

]]> Location: Tawa Trail

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CAB392A8-C6CE-7D39-FDF461D75EB2F919.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CABC8EF4-9815-92EB-942B7D5E57E794A4 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 5 National Park Service Tawa Point and Owl Rock Member and Walking the Rim Trail. Location: Tawa Trail 44 no full 5 1 Location: Tawa Trail

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Tawa Point Follow the trail through the loose gathering of gnarled juniper and cliffroses to look north over the Painted Desert. The geological layer known as the Owl Rock Member is the youngest of the Chinle formation and consists of pinkish orange mudstones mixed with hard thin layers of limestone. Lenses of brilliant selenite gypsum are scattered throughout the owl rock member representing the minerals left behind after evaporation of water-logged Triassic soils. This member is exposed in the far distance on Chinde Mesa at the northernmost border of the park, and outcrops at a few other spots. The Owl Rock Member is approximately 205 million years old.

]]> Location: Painted Desert Inn.

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CB46C1EE-D673-CA50-451BD59056A1CB7A.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CB473DD6-A1F1-AA89-4E8FEED9F1A64EBE PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 7 National Park Service Painted Desert Inn history. Location: Painted Desert Inn. 105 no full 7 1 Location: Painted Desert Inn.

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Kachina Point and the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark

Originally called the Stone Tree House, due to the petrified wood used in its construction, the Painted Desert Inn was built by Herbert Lore, with the help of local workers and registered with the Government Land Office as a homestead in 1924. Guests for the Stone Tree House were picked up by Lore from the train station at Adamana 10 miles to the south. Others would stop as they traveled along the National Old Trails Highway, which became Route 66 in 1926.

Lore sold the inn and 4 square miles of land to the National Park Service in 1936. The building was refurbished in the Pueblo-Revival Style to become the northern visitor center of what was then Petrified Forest National Monument. Due to a poor choice of building site and mediocre masonry skills, much of the building was rehabilitated by the Civilian Conservation Corps, also known as the CCC, following plans by the National Park Service architect Lyle Bennett. It's hard to imagine that it was almost torn down when the headquarters and visitor center moved to the newly constructed Painted Desert Community Complex in 1963.

Take a moment and discover this charming site which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Some unique features of the building include unusually high-quality designed interior spaces, multiple pants of glass painted with Pueblo and pottery designs which create a skylight illuminating the trading post room, and the murals painted by celebrated Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. A self-guided tour is available inside the inn.

]]> ]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CB540C57-D621-A3AB-85977CE3FCD7C289.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CB5BAE94-F730-8305-627B92A15BFE230B PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 8 National Park Service Dinosaur discovered at Petrified Forest National Park. Location: Hozho Point. 88 no full 8 1

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Hózhó Point While named after the fossilized trees, Petrified Forest National Park is world renowned for its animal fossils, including large Triassic reptiles and amphibians. Over the last century, many new fossil animal species have been found here and added to international knowledge of the Late Triassic. Dinosaurs are just a small part of the diverse Triassic fauna represented in the Chinle Formation. One of those dinosaurs was discovered in the Painted Desert along the hillside here at Hózhó Point, formerly known as Chinde Point. Discovered in 1984, Chindesaurus bryansmalli was a turkey-sized bipedal carnivore. Chindesaurus is one of only two dinosaurs that had been discovered at Petrified Forest after more than 150 years of research. The other is the meat-eating dinosaur Coelophysis, well known from the large bone bed at Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico. Although only one Chindesaurus has been discovered, Coelophysis are found in the park as partial skeletons of multiple individuals. From the point, look down the basalt cliff with rounded pillow lava towards the red badlands, and you can see where Chindesaurus was excavated. It was quite the event, including lifting the massive block of fossiliferous stone to the mesa top with a helicopter, photographers, journalists, staff, and visitors.

]]> Location: Pintado Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CB6F540E-ED74-C99F-20ECD9251901E2D0.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CB729211-CDD8-1B08-9A794E1B30E47D8F PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 9 National Park Service Volcanics of the region, including a maar crater nearby. Location: Pintado Point 117 no full 9 1 Location: Pintado Point

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Pintado Point During the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene Epochs of the Neogene Period approximately 4 to 8 million years ago, a large lake system covered much of northeastern Arizona. Fine-grained river and lake-related sediments such as silt, clay, and sand represent the lower part of what is now the geological layer, the Bidachochi Formation. Volcanoes both underfoot and as far as the southwestern Nevada volcanic field spewed ash and lava over the region about 100 miles to the west. Look for the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. These peaks are the highest points in Arizona and are stratovolcanoes that were most recently active around a million years ago. Many of the volcanoes were phreatomagmatic when ground or lake water mingling with erupting magma caused explosive eruptions. The resulting ash formed fine grain deposits that were left within the lake sediments. Lava that erupted under water also formed the distinctive round shapes of pillow the salt. After a few million years of erosion, most of the Bidachochi Formation has been carried from within the park boundary, leaving volcanic scoria cones and Mars, flat bottom, roughly circular volcanic craters of explosive origin. The vent from one of these mars is exposed on the rim of the Painted Desert across the park road to the east of Pintado Point. The Hopi Butte Volcanic Field, which is visible from the northern overlooks of the park looking northwest, is considered one of the largest concentrations of maar landforms in the world, covering about 965 square miles or 2500 square kilometers. The erosion resistant lava flows such as Pilot Rock and the Hopi Buttes protect the softer lakebed deposits beneath.

]]> Location: between Pintado and Nizhoni

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CB84D245-D6D1-5D08-4EFAA514A061D906.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CB85549A-F44A-E42E-E43402CCFE7B8328 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 10 National Park Service Early explorations and historic inscription. Location: between Pintado and Nizhoni 50 no full 10 1 Location: between Pintado and Nizhoni

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From Pintado to Nizhoni Point Standing at the edge of a colorful sea of badlands and mesas, a Spanish explorer named the region El Desierto Pintado, the Painted Desert, or so the story goes. The initial Spanish explorations of the 16th and 17th century were focused on finding routes between their colonies along the Rio Grande and the Pacific coast. During the early 19th century, an expedition left Santa Fe and passed through this area on their way to establish trade with the Ute. Throughout the American Southwest, the Spanish became some of the earliest European settlers in the region. Within Petrified Forest National Park, Spanish inscriptions on rock surfaces have been discovered from the 19th century.

]]> Location: Tawa to Kachina Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CB88F4E4-A6B2-4036-B515049621DCB96A.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CB9896A3-C0B8-359E-5E3CAA175269506B PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 6 National Park Service Explore Tawa and Kachina Point, from overlooks and hiking. Location: Tawa to Kachina Point 46 no full 6 1 Location: Tawa to Kachina Point

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Soon...

]]> Location: Nizhoni Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CBA1F95F-C5AB-1878-D775B5CC3F7B790C.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CBA7E195-CC49-C35D-E040D1E9295CB003 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 11 National Park Service Host_043 Nizhoni unconformity. Location: Nizhoni Point 44 no full 11 1 Location: Nizhoni Point

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Nizhoni Point The boundary where the Bidahochi Formation and Chinle Formation make contact is an unconformity. An unconformity represents missing time in the form of rock layers, either as a pause in deposition or rock that's been eroded away. It's a bit like a book with missing pages. You can tell that something's missing, but you don't necessarily know what was written. The Chinle Formation was deposited over 200 million years ago, but the Bidahochi Formation was deposited around 5 to 18 million years ago. The contact between the Bidahochi Formation and the Chinle Formation represents over 182 million years of missing time.

]]> Location: Whipple Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CBB2AFA4-04A5-DE79-8C3168598FF49D7D.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CBBA07EE-91DD-19C1-4CC0AFC0424CB2BB PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 12 National Park Service The Whipple Expedition Location: Whipple Point 47 no full 12 1 Location: Whipple Point

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Whipple Point The mid-19th century was a time of government expeditions throughout the West. In 1853, US Army Lieutenant Amiel Whipple led a survey along the Thirty-Fifth Parallel, not far from this point. Impressed with the Painted Desert landscape, Whipple named the seasonal river lined with petrified wood deposits the Lithodendron or Stone Tree Creek, the large wash that divides the north unit of the Petrified Forest National Park into the wilderness area we know today. The Whipple Expedition's topographer, draftsman, artist, and naturalist, German-born Balduin Möllhausen provided the first published account of petrified wood in what eventually would become petrified forest.

]]> Location: Lacey Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CBCA92BB-E495-570A-3D2C66884331A0A1.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CBD2545F-D9BC-A5C7-0F1E08554F5ABA83 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 13 National Park Service The Beale Wagon Road and experimental camels. Location: Lacey Point 70 no full 13 1 Location: Lacey Point

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From Whipple Point to Route 66 Can you picture a camel caravan at the edge of the Painted Desert? Experienced explorer, frontiersman, and retired military officer Edward F. Beale could. Beale was hired by the U.S. Government to survey and build a wagon road following Whipple's route along the Thirty-Fifth Parallel. Between 1857 and 1860, Beale made several trips building and improving the road. As part of a government experiment in desert transport, Beale used camels as pack animals. Although Beale became convinced of the camel's value, the government did not choose to invest in them, particularly as the Civil War began. Some of the camels were released in the Mojave, generating years of tall tales, while others were auctioned off carrying mail in California and yet another group was kept by Beale on his ranch. The old wagon road is still visible in spots across the southwest. The portion within Petrified Forest was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

]]> Location: Route 66

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CBD9AA58-D24D-C5AE-992C2AEBDAAD2A6E.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CBE317BB-CE5E-688B-0755DF7CF432093E PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 14 National Park Service Route 66 history in the park. Location: Route 66 95 no full 14 1 Location: Route 66

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Route 66 traces of an old roadbed and weathered telephone poles mark the path of the famous Main Street of America, Route 66. From Chicago to Los Angeles this heavily trafficked highway was not just a road. It stood as a symbol of opportunity, adventure, and exploration to travelers. US Route 66 was established in 1926, but it wasn't until after World War II that the road earned its place in pop culture, including a song and a television show.

Getting your kicks along Route 66 from Middle America to the coast could take about a week. For many, the journey was not just across miles, it was across cultures and lifestyles, as each stop along the way offered local flair and regional flavor. Imagine the neon signs of one-of-a-kind motels, filling stations that served as miniature oases, gaudy tourist traps, and more than 2200 miles of open road.

In 1990, Congress passed the Route 66 Study Act of 1990, finding that historic Route 66 had become a symbol of the American people's heritage of travel and their legacy of seeking a better life. The Route 66 corridor preservation program was created in 1999, and the route itself was designated an all-American Road. Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park that protects a segment of historic Route 66 within its boundaries.

]]> Location: Grassland, north of Rattlesnake Hill

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CBF31207-0FDE-FF82-59EB8C6EBBA125A5.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CBF8B221-A618-9D02-CCD95E75A89E0F89 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 15 National Park Service History of the travel corridor and centuries of people moving through the region. Location: Grassland, north of Rattlesnake Hill 48 no full 15 1 Location: Grassland, north of Rattlesnake Hill

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From Route 66 to Mile Marker 8 Route 66 was replaced by Interstate 40 in the mid-1970s, used by traders, explorers, pioneers, settlers, stagecoach lines, tourists, and scientists. In the 1870s, Mormon pioneers began to establish and build communities along the Little Colorado River, including Joseph's City, originally Allen's Camp—and the only remaining settlement—Brigham City, Sunset, and Fort Obed. It wasn't easy. The demanding land testing the homesteaders with drought, flood, malaria, and extremes in weather. Still, their descendants make up a large portion of our neighboring communities.

]]> Location: Puerco River

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC0BD7FF-C8C6-F58D-6CBFA07A5FE57776.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC1399C7-D1D7-80D3-DEC8E12D8132A31A PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 16 = National Park Service Natural ecosystem, animals, and plants including their relationship with water. Location: Puerco River 154 no full 16 1 Location: Puerco River

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Rattlesnake Hill at Mile Marker 8 to the Puerco River Petrified Forest is a grassland, one of the largest remaining intact short grass prairies. It's home to many plants and animals with grassland, riparian, badland, sand dune, and spring habitats. Species are adapted to survive in this demanding environment, including by being nocturnal. This wide-open environment is home to many species of plants and animals including prairie dogs, red-tailed hawks, American pronghorn, bull snakes, and darkling beetles, just to mention a very small number. While driving along the park road, be aware that the animals may dash across or bask in the sun on the pavement. One reason to watch the speed limit.

Petrified forest is a semi-arid environment receiving about 10 inches of precipitation each year in the form of snow and rain in the winter and often dramatic thunderstorms during the summer monsoons. The many watercourses throughout the region are called washes, ephemeral paths for moisture to find its way to the Puerco and Little Colorado, then on to the Colorado River and draining into the Gulf of California. Though often appearing dry, the Puerco is considered a river rather than a wash, as a constant supply of water is present, flowing just below the surface. The Puerco River forms a riparian corridor through the park lined with galleries of Coyote and Gooding's Willows, various cottonwood tree species, and non-native tamarisk. The plants provide food and shelter for birds, bats, porcupine, and elk. Elk often gather in small herds which are most active during dawn and dusk.

Water can also be found in natural rock basins called tinajas, springs in the back of alcoves, and man-made tanks. Around the natural tinajas and seeps, the water attracts plants such as ferns and mosses, creating little oases in the shadow of mesas and escarpments. Rainwater and snow melt percolate through the edge of the landforms, emerging where it can fill a cistern, providing longer term, watery habitats. During dry times, animals will come from all around the area to drink. Water creatures seem to appear out of nowhere, such as fairy and tadpole shrimp and diving beetles, ducks, shore birds, and waders such as plovers, great blue herons, and northern shovelers visit on their migration.

]]> Location: Puerco Pueblo

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC1B6F76-0766-8D1C-378B6EDD8BDEDC4B.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC20DB7E-A24E-458A-AB746A76209DFBC1 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 17 National Park Service The history of Puerco Pueblo. Location: Puerco Pueblo 59 no full 17 1 Location: Puerco Pueblo

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Puerco Pueblo Puerco Pueblo is the most obvious archaeological site in the park. Many other sites have been covered with windblown sand and less. This village had more than 100 rooms occupied and maintained from the mid-13th century to the end of the 14th century. At that time, the river would have been a reliable source of water for crops. Farming of corn, beans, and squash took place on the flood plains and terraces along the river. The river also made for a natural travel route. Travelers and traders probably frequented Puerco Pueblo, carrying new ideas as well as goods. The trail at Puerco Pueblo winds through the remnants of the village walls and overlooks some petroglyphs, including one that marks the summer solstice. Additionally, there's a small museum that summarizes the history of people who have occupied and utilized petrified forest for over 14,000 years.

]]> Location: Newspaper Rock

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC264E28-B50B-07BF-B3753D24F78D0945.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC2E5E32-B70B-3444-4ABE3118FE3FAE6C PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 18 National Park Service The petroglyphs of Newspaper Rock Location: Newspaper Rock 59 no full 18 1 Location: Newspaper Rock

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Newspaper Rock The archaeological site known as Newspaper Rock, is neither a newspaper nor a single rock. The site boasts over 650 petroglyphs covering a group of rock faces within a small area. This location must have been significant to have such a high concentration of petroglyphs. Generations of people saw these markings and contributed their own. Many of the symbols were created by ancestral Puebloan people living, farming, and hunting along the Puerco River between 650 and 2000 years ago. There is no linear story, but we can still learn from the markings. Modern tribes such as Zuni and Hopi offer interpretations, including family or clan symbols, spiritual meanings, and historical or astronomical events. Some mark territory boundaries and migratory routes.

Walk to the overlook to discover these messages on stone.

]]> Location: Tepees

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC37C99E-B437-0317-D048D85CD03C1079.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC409F1C-BA0A-C06A-5AA8AF7923E7F575 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 19 National Park Service The Tepees and Mesa Redondo Member of the Chinle Formation Location: Tepees 63 no full 19 1 Location: Tepees

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From Newspaper Rock to the Tepees The road curves in between exposed badlands as it shifts into and away from the grassland. This highly eroded area of exposed sedimentary rock is called the Tepees due to the conical shape of many of the hills. To the west beyond the Tepees, lies a small outcrop of the geological layer known as the Mesa Redondo Member. The Mesa Redondo is the oldest member of the Chinle Formation exposed in Petrified Forest and is mainly found in the Tepees area. It consists of dark red siltstones as well as sandy conglomerates. The top of the member is a very colorful hard layer with yellow, red, and purple mottles. The Mesa Redondo was deposited between 225 and 227 million years ago and represents floodplain deposits that were adjacent to the sandstone channels of the Shinarump Member, which can be seen outside the park between Holbrook and Joseph City.

]]> Location: Tepees 2

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC4E3B87-EDBD-0D98-CA45A2C1ECB6C2D5.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC535508-9CE6-9065-29398ED62073EC57 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 20 National Park Service Fossils in the Blue Mesa Member at the Tepees Location: Tepees 2 54 no full 20 1 Location: Tepees 2

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The Tepees

The Tepees are made up of the geological layer known as the Blue Mesa Member. The banded badlands are very striking as they catch the light of late afternoon. This member consists of thick Triassic river deposits of gray, blue, purple, and green mudstones and minor sandstone beds, the most prominent of which is the newspaper rock bed. There are many plant fossils in The Tepees area, including conifer leaves, horsetail stems, and pollen. The Blue Mesa Member is approximately 220 to 225 million years old.

From The Tepees, hikers can take the historic Civilian Conservation Corps built trail along the historic Blue Forest Trail and Off the Beaten Path hike. This trail connects with the paved Blue Mesa Loop Trail off of Blue Mesa Road.

]]> Location: Blue Mesa

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC5F69EA-E625-CBD2-D53DC5718524AFC5.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC6429D4-E5F0-A78F-99D94702FC0FB486 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 21 National Park Service The Sonsela Member at Blue Mesa, including the banding and colors of the Painted Desert. Location: Blue Mesa 133 no full 21 1 Location: Blue Mesa

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Blue Mesa Blue Mesa rises above a purplish plain marked with curving washes, the escarpment banded in blue, purple, and gray. Three divisions of the geological layer known as the Sonsela Member are visible at Blue Mesa. From bottom to top, they are the bright white sandstone called the Camp Butte Beds, which are found near the base of the mesa. The middle called Lot's Wife Bed composed of blue, gray, and purple mudstones, and numerous small gray and white sandstones. And the uppermost, the Jasper Forest Bed consisting of white cross bedded sandstones and conglomerates with water rounded pebbles and cobbles. The Jasper Forest Bed contains the logs that can be seen eroding out of the hillside around Blue Mesa. The sandstone layer caps Blue Mesa, Agate Mesa, and the Mesa north of the Rainbow Forest. The Sonsela Member is approximately 215 to 219 million years old.

The colorful layers in the Chinle Formation represent ancient soil horizons, the variety of hues due to the presence of various elements and minerals. While the red and green layers generally contain the same amount of iron and manganese, differences in color depend on the height of the groundwater table when the ancient Triassic soils were formed. If the water table was high or nearer to the surface, the sediment's decreased access to oxygen caused the iron minerals in the soil to reduce into a greenish or bluish shade. The reddish soils, on the other hand, were formed where the water table fluctuated or shifted lower, allowing the iron minerals to oxidize or rust when exposed to higher levels of oxygen. That knowledge tells us that when the northernmost portion of the Painted Desert was formed. The water table was lower indicating a drier climate with well aerated oxygen-rich soils.

Two off the beaten path trails can be taken from the Blue Mesa Road, Billings Gap, and the Red Basin clam beds. Billings Gap runs along the northern edge of the Mesa, while the Red Basin clam beds trails along the base of the southern side of the Mesa.

]]> Location: Agate Mesa

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC6F8F48-938F-37C5-99168CE85023E2E8.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC794437-F509-1D53-3691F52D30CCA769 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 22 National Park Service Drive between Blue Mesa and Agate Mesa and the history of ranching. Location: Agate Mesa 51 no full 22 1 Location: Agate Mesa

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From Blue Mesa to Agate Bridge In the late 19th century, ranchers took advantage of the vast grasslands. This land would forever after bear the mark of grazing. In 1884, the Holbrook Times noted the whole northern portion of the territory seems to be undergoing a great change. Our plains are stocked with thousands of cattle, horses, and sheep. The Aztec Land and Cattle Company, one of the largest ranches in North American history, occupied much of the land in northern Arizona. Some of their infamous cowboys were even linked to the Pleasant Valley War, rabble rousing in Holbrook, and train robbery. Cattle grazed in petrified forest until the late 1950s. Private ranches still boarded the park, and there are several active grazing leases on the newer park land.

]]> Location: Agate Bridge

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC838D7E-B0D5-C429-CCA9C6584D285CC8.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC8AE39B-EB0C-2CC4-FE2EA3C5D587FF46 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 23 National Park Service The history of Agate Bridge and changing philosophy of the National Park Service. Location: Agate Bridge 79 no full 23 1 Location: Agate Bridge

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Agate Bridge

Agate Bridge has always been one of the most popular stops in the park. In the early days, the over 100 ft long log graced postcards, posters, books, and was even touted as a wonder called Natural Bridge. No doubt there are many old vacation photos of people standing on the bridge, which is now off limits. One legend is that a cowboy was bet that he couldn't cross the bridge on his horse. The cowboy supposedly won. The partially exposed petrified log spans a gully that features a small waterfall during a heavy rain. funded by the railroad, masonry buttresses were built beneath the suspended log around 1903. Concrete pillars followed in 1911, finally to be replaced by the existing beam in 1917. After over 100 years of choosing to leave the support system as it was built in 1917, the beam is seen as an artifact that illustrates the changing philosophy of the National Park Service. Now, we're allowing the log and beam to erode at its natural pace, rather than attempting to maintain the gully spanning structure.

Stop and walk the short distance to Agate Bridge. Please remember for your safety and the protection of the resource to not walk out onto the petrified log.

]]> Location: Jasper Forest

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CC92D9D1-A144-DA88-EBCAEC7EEB580210.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CC9A83C5-DD1A-9CC0-2DFCF55F2BF0A219 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 24 National Park Service The CCC road that once navigated Jasper Forest. Location: Jasper Forest 46 no full 24 1 Location: Jasper Forest

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Jasper Forest In the 1890s and early 1900s, this area was called First Forest, as it was the first stop for tourists from the closest community and train depot in Adamana. Today Jasper Forest is a spectacular landscape with high concentrations of petrified wood still eroding from the surrounding formation. Hikers can follow the faint remnants of an old 1930s road built by the Civilian Conservation Corps that once led to the popular formation known as Eagle Nest Rock. Unfortunately, on a particularly wet winter night in January of 1941, the delicate base of Eagle Nest rock finally became too fragile to uphold the hoodoo and crash to the valley floor.

]]> Location: Crystal Forest

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/CCA524E6-D016-9BF4-12597DC28148301F.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-CCAAF952-B3CC-5BC4-55D75EBE3993DF71 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 25 National Park Service Exploration of Crystal Forest short Location: Crystal Forest 40 no full 25 1 Location: Crystal Forest

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Crystal Forest Crystal Forest was originally called Second Forest, as it was the 2nd site reached by horse or wagon from Adamana. It is one of the largest accumulations of petrified wood in the park. These logs are weathering out of the geological layer known as the Jasper Forest Bed of the Sonsela Member and have been dated to around 216 million years. Many of the fossil logs also show signs of human caused damage, which is consistent with old stories of logs being blown up with dynamite to access the glittering crystals.

Stop at Crystal Forest and take the 3/4 of a mile walk through this Triassic logjam.

]]> ]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/EDA64F7B-0065-EA9D-6DBB76F1E9095982.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-EDAE89B9-A760-3621-5EA2D7D3393930B3 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 26 National Park Service Early science at Petrified Forest Location: Flattops 55 no full 26 1

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From Crystal Forest to Mile Marker 24 Approaching Mile Marker 24 brings you to the original boundary of the monument set aside by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. The monument was established to preserve and protect the Mesozoic forest of petrified trees using the Antiquities Act. Since then, science has been an integral part of the work at Petrified Forest National Park. Some early advocates included Annie Alexander, her partner Louise Kellogg, and Dr. Charles Camp, a paleontologist from the University of California at Berkeley. Their exploration found that trees were not the only fossils preserved. An entire ecosystem continues to be explored by visiting and in-house researchers from the spectacular crocodile-like phytosaur to tiny early mammals, towering coniferous trees to delicate ferns.

]]> Location: Hamilili Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/EDDEBC8D-BAB6-CF1F-694BF47B6D850A5D.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-EDE6929D-B9B1-EBA7-75C96032989CFB6E PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 27 National Park Service Fossils in the Bidahochi Formation Location: Hamilili Point 50 no full 27 1 Location: Hamilili Point

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Mile Marker 24 The southern pullout at Mile Marker 24 is the access point for the southern unit of the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area, where backpackers can park overnight. It is also a great spot to start a day hike with interesting landforms all around. This pullout overlooks the geological layer known as the Jim Camp Wash Beds of the Sonsela Member. The overlying brown strata are the Miocene and Pliocene aged Bidahochi Formation. The fossils of an Artiodactyl, a group of even-toed hooved mammals that include giraffes, elk, bison, and camels from the Bidahochi was discovered near here in 2009, one of the few non-Triassic aged fossils recovered from the park.

]]> Location: Hamilili Point

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/EDEFEE71-AA03-CF0C-025E73F26D6CE127.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-EDF8E993-E52D-E4FA-01924F634D0A14A8 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 28 National Park Service Dune habitat Location: Hamilili Point 32 no full 28 1 Location: Hamilili Point

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From around 1.8 million years ago to present during the Pleistocene and Holocene, windblown sand and alluvium deposited by flowing water covered much of the older rocks of the park. Note the different types of plants that grow in the dunes next to the pullout compared to the rough textured badlands nearby. These dune deposits are largely stabilized by vegetation, especially grasses, and a favorite location for wildflowers like spectacle pod and snowball sand verbena.

]]> Location: Rainbow Forest

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/EE34F6CB-D5D0-94C1-43F8054AE18CA2A3.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-EE3BC570-DCD0-FFA4-3F3DCDA6566C6890 PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 29 National Park Service Rainbow Forest history Location: Rainbow Forest 51 no full 29 1 Location: Rainbow Forest

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From Mile Marker 24 to the Rainbow Forest Museum The Rainbow Forest Historic District was the heart of the original Petrified Forest National Monument. One of the earliest facilities in the park was a wood and tar paper shack near where the current museum is located. Doctor Albert Einstein visited Rainbow Forest in March of 1931. A few months later, the park began to design a new museum, headquarters, and park residences. The building of Rainbow Forest occurred between June through December 1931. Later, in 1934, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was built in the Rainbow Forest to work on roads, trails, bridges, and more residences. There were two other camps in the park.

]]> Location: Rainbow Forest Museum

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/EE41DF7E-B45F-1A3B-11781AFF66EDAE9B.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-EE49D8A5-C2E7-9043-A649AA10799E99DA PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 30 National Park Service Visit the Rainbow Forest Museum. Location: Rainbow Forest Museum 64 no full 30 1 Location: Rainbow Forest Museum

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The Rainbow Forest Museum The museum at Rainbow Forest features fossils and casts representing animals that lived here over 200 million years ago. A mural takes you back in time to the period when the geological layer known as the Blue Mesa Member was deposited. Some of the fossil animals found within the park include Phytosaurs, Aetosaurs, Placerius, Metoposaurs, and Rauisuchians. Given the immense diversity of fossils in the museum, even the most devoted dinosaur fan can likely find new creatures to get excited about. Plant fossils such as ferns and cycads are also represented in the exhibits of the Rainbow Forest Museum. The museum also celebrates past exhibits, including a historic mural painted by the renowned paleo artist Margaret Colbert in the 1970s, and a diorama created by some of the Civilian Conservation Corps members with staff from the University of California at Berkeley in the 1930s.

]]> Location: South entrance.

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/podcasts/EE4F0422-9B01-8C33-600A1BE5B4AB14D1.mp3 https://www.nps.gov/podcasts/pefo-n-audio-tour.htm#episode-EE70F217-FCEB-9D78-0671AE5133079E1B PEFO Audio Tour North Stop 31 National Park Service Thank you for taking the northern version of the Petrified Forest National Park Audio Tour! Location: South entrance. 28 no full 31 1 Location: South entrance.

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Thank you for joining the audio tour of Petrified Forest. These snippets of the natural and cultural history hopefully will give you a desire to learn more about the many facets of this park. There are maintained trails and off the beaten path routes to explore, a designated wilderness to discover, scientists to visit, and a night sky filled with stars for those who return to petrified Forest National Park.

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