Blue Mesa - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting
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Things to know
About Blue Mesa
Blue Mesa is a significant landform located on a spur road halfway through Petrified Forest National Park. The trailhead for Blue Mesa Trail is located halfway around the loop road at a sunshelter. The mesa consists of the Blue Mesa and Sonsela Members with petrified wood deposits. Spectacular views of blue, purple, gray, and peach banded badlands.
Activities Around
Attractions Near Blue Mesa
Puerco Pueblo
5.68km from Blue Mesa
Puerco Ruin and Petroglyphs are the ruins of a large Indian pueblo, which reached its peak around 1300 CE, containing over 100 rooms. It is the largest known archeological site within the Petrified Forest National Park.The site contains over 800 petroglyphs, incised on more than 100 boulders.
Jasper Forest
7.17km from Blue Mesa
Jasper Forest was originally called First Forest as it was the first large accumulation of petrified wood reached from Adamana. The petrified log segments continue to erode from the 216-million-year-old Jasper Forest bed, which caps the exposures in the area, including Blue Mesa, Agate Bridge, and Crystal Forest. The forest was originally accessible by vehicle and the old road constructed by the CCC in the early 1930s still exists.
Petrified Forest National Park
8.19km from Blue Mesa
A majestic national park, which takes its name from the remnants of ancient trees which have been transformed into brilliantly colored minerals through a series of geological processes. It was set aside as a national monument in 1906 to preserve and protect the petrified wood for its scientific value. The monument became a national park in 1962. The park features one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood.
Crystal Forest
8.22km from Blue Mesa
The Crystal Forest is a site in Apache County , Arizona , featuring a large concentration of petrified wood . It is protected within the Petrified Forest National Park. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and is attracted by many tourists.
Painted Desert Visitor Center
14.63km from Blue Mesa
The Painted Desert is a United States desert of badlands in the Four Corners area, running from near the east end of Grand Canyon National Park and southeast into Petrified Forest National Park. It is most easily accessed from the north portion of Petrified Forest National Park. The Painted Desert is known for its brilliant and varied colors: these include the more common red rock, but also shades of lavender.
Petrified Forest National Park
14.68km from Blue Mesa
Petrified Forest National Park near the southern margin of the Colorado Plateau in the Painted Desert area of east-central Arizona is an area of spectacular scenery formed primarily from the Chinle Formation about some 225 – 208 Ma during the late Triassic. The area within the park proper is 146 square miles , but, since 2005, additional land parcels have been acquired and placed under park administration, so that the entire protected area now totals 346 square miles.
Discover More Attractions in Apache County, Home of Blue Mesa
Apache County
57 attractions
Apache County is located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Most of the county is occupied by part of the federally recognized Navajo Nation and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, respectively. It also contains part of Petrified Forest National Park. Canyon de Chelly National Monument is entirely within the county and within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation.
Location of Blue Mesa
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For more information about Blue Mesa, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mesa_Member