Paul Blackburn
Brentwood, TN
102167.3657@compuserve.com

An oft-overlooked gem that's an uncrowded alternative to the Grand Canyon.

Before you head into the backcountry, swing through the south part of the park, where you'll see a log with the understated name of Old Faithful--it's nine and a half feet in diameter--and others, as long as 170 feet, piled up like raw spaghetti. From there, take the northbound park road through the Painted Desert, past the Teepees--cone-shaped mounds of mudstone--and along a volcanic rim with open-air views of red-rock mesas and slopes as colorful as Navajo rugs.

While there, make a point of stopping at Devil's Playground, a brilliantly colored, wildly eroded badlands abut six miles west of Kachina Point, a good jumping-off point for a Painted Desert backcountry trek. Go armed with a free camping permit and maps--available at the visitor center, just off I-40--and plenty of water. Start by picking your way across steep clay hills toward the obvious landmark of Pilot Rock, seven miles northwest of Kachina Point. It's an easy climb up the 6,235-foot igneous rock bluff, which has spectacular views of the Sand Francisco Peaks to the west, the Hopi mesas to the northwest, and Navajo country to the north.

The next day, follow Digger Wash to Chinde Mesa, four miles east and from there, head due south through the dark fossilized wood of Black Forest to Onyx Bridge (a large petrified log that spans a gully) and back to Kachina Point. With a little deft map-and-compass work along the way, you shouldn't have much trouble finding the petroglyphs and Indian ruins marked on your topo map. Be prepared for summer thunderstorms, which bring out Painted Desert colors but make foot travel across the bentonite clay a stick-to-your-boots mess--and make you a human lightning rod. If the weather looks bad, put off your hike for a day, and check with the visitor center for updates.

For more information, call the park at 520-524-6228 and check out "Parkland Incognito" in the Destinations section of our August 1995 issue.