Blue Mesa Trail in Petrified Forest National Park, AZ provides the best view of the sandstone formations short of hiking into the backcountry. It is a paved, one-mile trail that loops through a valley among the base of the formations. This view shows the scenery that you'll after descending about half-way down the mesa (or up, since you follow this section both directions before arriving at the loop). Imaged in December 2009. This is the first of four SP images I shot during that hike (two, three and four).