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| | | Historic Blue Forest and Blue Mesa plus, AZ | | | |
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Historic Blue Forest and Blue Mesa plus, AZ
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| Hiking | 5.00 Miles |
662 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.00 Miles | 1 Hour 50 Mns | | 2.80 mph |
| 662 ft AEG | 3 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | DAY THREE - Crystal and Blue Forests. We stopped by the VC and the ranger warned us we might have trouble hiking the Historic Blue Forest due to blowouts and such. Fortunately, that was not really an issue; if anything, it was just slippery in a couple areas.
Stop One: CRYSTAL FOREST - Oh my what long petrified logs you have, wowsza. Lots of beauties out here as you walk through the edge of the very old petrified forest. Oh, and there were some huge petrified chunks as well. The crystal centers were quite evident in a lot of these logs. It's a nice hike through an incredible area and a great way to start our morning.
Stop Two: AGATE BRIDGE - interesting stop. It's too bad they can't find a way to camouflage the necessary cement support. I liked this quote on the interpretive sign: In the late 1800s the paleobotanist Lester Ward proclaimed Agate Bridge to be the “most noted single petrified log in the world.” The distant views included that of our last stop on this awesome tour.
Stop Three: If you thought I enjoyed Devil's Playground, well this HISTORIC BLUE FOREST and Mesa were the brown-tipped meringue on my Baked Alaska. We parked at the pullout just south of the Teepees. After getting some photos of them, we headed east on the old wide road that was built by the CCC between 1934-37. The trail was closed in the year of my birth and didn't reopen until 2013 and is considered primitive. And from what I read somewhere, the gravel which somewhat defines the route, was also laid by the CCC.
There was another hiker ahead of us but she didn't seem to be in any hurry. I thought she might be vlogging but couldn't really tell. I found out the old sign post we came to as we began our climb was an old sign from when the original trail was built. I think the NPS describes this fabulous hike perfectly: The Blue Forest Trail winds through the colorful badlands country. It offers a new view at every turn, and both the foreground and background hold your interest at every step. It gives the hiker a bit of history, a lot of scenery, an intimate look at petrified wood as it's being exposed. The park states you're exploring through 3 million years of history just in the short hike.
The trail is narrow and short-steep in a couple places and sometimes slippery with those little rocks. It is a wonderland, which is rather amazing since it's really just colors as there is little to no vegetation and not much in the way of petrified wood and very few Hoodoos. We zig zagged our way a couple different times. It was fun to have Kelly ahead as I was filming and it gives you a better sense of what this landscape feels like as you contemplate what you'll see next. You eventually crest out at the area above Blue Mesa Trail and hike a bit of a ridge before taking a hard right.
Going into the BLUE MESA from here is STEEP, narrow and a bit slippery because of the little rocks. It would be much easier if they could sweep those little rocks off the trail. I don't know if they are used for erosion control or not, but I can't imagine them doing much. Once we safely got past that section, we started the meander of the paved loop trail. And now, it's walk and gawk  as we enter the land of Chinle and some pretty good sized petrified wood. There weren't too many people so that was nice. From NPS: The mesa consists of the Blue Mesa and Sonsela Members with petrified wood deposits. Spectacular views of blue, purple, gray, and peach banded badlands.
We came to the pedestal petrified log which is really cool and I managed to get me and my bum leg up on top so that I could create a special collage with the four HAZers who have done this. From there we continued on our way up and out of this Chinle canyon. It's steep, but when it's paved, one can't really complain. I did wonder though, what some of the people I saw coming down would do on the way up. There was a volunteer at the top by the parking lot. We didn't spend much time here and headed back the way we came. Our climb back up to the Historic Blue Forest Trail went quickly as the slippery rocks are not an issue.
And now for really, the best part of this hike  , the hike back, in my opinion. You hike a very narrow ridge over to the main area of the Historic Blue Forest. This is also the best part of my second video. It is just astonishing. For some reason I felt like I was walking on the Blue Moon and we were astronauts. No, I was not delirious. I was smiling almost the entire time with all the display of color and the occasional Hoodoos and petrified wood. At one point I could see something red in the far distance. I finally figured out it was Tonto 3. It looked like it was on top of the ridge.
I was sad as we started down from the top. We would be leaving all this beauty behind. It was a great weather day too. In fact, we were lucky that we had very nice temps for our entire tour and I had the best tour guide  . Be sure and check out the sign by the narrow pullout about the Pioneers of Paleontology. And like they say, all good things must come to an end, but your memories last a lifetime. (I added the last part.) It's a real toss-up between Devil's Playground and this hike as to which one I liked best.
Crystal Forest, Historical Blue Forest Part 1 [ youtube video ]
Historical Blue Forest and Blue Mesa [ youtube video ] (the last third or so of this video is my favorite). I haven't reviewed them yet |
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Wildflowers Observation None
some Salt Sackbush and a couple Paintbrush and Prickly Pear Cactus |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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