My aunt, who is a pastel artist, told me to check out this place. She participated in an artist residency, and said it was beautiful! So, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.
And really, I think you can’t go wrong with visiting any of the national parks. They are all unique with their diverse landscape, geological features, and animal populations. Plus, this is one of the few NPs where dogs are allowed on the trail, so of course we had to visit.
We arrived early to beat the heat, and we drove directly to the trailhead.
This is the Blue Mesa Trail in the Petrified Forest National Park, which is located in eastern Arizona. Blaze and I enjoyed taking in our surroundings as we traversed the 1-mile trail. The colorful landscape reminded me somewhat of the Badlands NP in South Dakota, but with different colors — less of the yellows, oranges, and greens that you find in Badlands. Here, you see more of the reds, blues, and purples. The petrified trees glisten in the bright sunlight like diamonds.
And it gets hot here fast. We took many water breaks.
We quickly headed back to the van before driving to the overlook, which offers an impressive vantage point from up above the trail.
Granted, we visited in the spring of 2025. So, the current US government shutdown was not an issue at the time. As of right now (October 2025), the park is closed. But once it reopens, I highly recommend that you explore one of the many trails.
Thanks for joining us for this little adventure.
Michelle and Blaze 