Little Painted Desert

Page Type Page Type: Trip Report
Location Lat/Lon: 35.15568°N / 110.47372°W
Additional Information GPX File: Download GPX » View Route on Map
Date Date Climbed/Hiked: Sep 8, 2021
Activities Activities: Hiking

Overview

Little Painted Desert is an abandoned county park 15 miles to the northeast of Winslow, Arizona. The former park preserved a plateau edge where steep colorful eroded badlands dropped 300 vertical feet down to a lower level. I was looking for a way to go down to the lower level but had not been able to find any information about how that could be done. On the day of my visit, I found the spur road to the park unmarked and full of potholes. Picnic facilities and locked up bathroom walls were graffiti covered with garbage everywhere. None of that, however, decreased the natural beauty of the area.

 

On Google Earth, I had found places where the slopes seemed to be gentle enough to potentially allow a hike to the lower level. In reality, the path that I had chosen turned out to be way too steep for my comfort. By luck, in another place, I came across an abandoned and badly eroded trail that gaive me the opportunity to follow it down to the bottom.

 

 

Trip Report

 

Hike Length: 4.0 miles

Maximum Elevation: 5490 ft

Minimum Elevation: 5240 ft

 

Kris and I left Flagstaff, Arizona at 5:30 AM, got on I-40 and drove 60 miles east. As we were driving, the sun rose over the open plains to the east. At Exit 257, turned north onto Route 87 and went 14 miles until we got onto an unsigned pothole ridden spur road to the west that took us a short distance to the edge of the plateau. The walls of the locked up bathroom and the picnic facilities were graffiti covered and in a state of decay. Garbage had been thrown everywhere. The views, however, were breath taking.

 

From the parking area
From the parking area
From the parking area
From the parking area
From the parking area
From the parking area

 

Kris said that I was crazy to think that I could walk down those slopes and he did not want to have to call the rescue squad on me. I had to remind him that the plan was to go south to where Google Earth had shown easier slopes.

 

Started the hike at 6:55 AM. A pleasant breeze was blowing. Hiked southwest near the edge of the plateau following the path that I had entered into my GPS until after half a mile we reached where I had planned to go down the slopes. A walkable descending ridge-top was in front of me but the very end of it appeared steep.

 

The ridge-top I planned to hike down
The ridge-top I planned to hike down

 

Kris again said that if I did not come back up, he did not know who he was supposed to call and did not know if we even had cell phone connection there. I told him that I was determined to check it out. Gave him the walkie talkie and began to walk down the ridge-top. Looking north from the ridge-top.

 

Looking north from the ridge-top
Looking north from the ridge-top

 

In 0.1 miles, I was down a good 160 vertical feet until I reached a place where it became very steep. I could go down but coming back up was questionable.

 

Too steep for my comfort
Too steep for my comfort
Too steep for my comfort
Too steep for my comfort

 

 

Radioed Kris and told him that I was at an impasse and was coming back up. Went back to Kris who seemed to be relieved but I was bummed out. Told him lets hike back north along the rim. My plan was to go to the other spot far north where Google Earth had shown possible gentle slopes but did not say that to Kris.

More wonderful views.

 

From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim

 

Reached the car and continued further north. I went to the very edge often to take pictures.

 

From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim

 

In one place, where I went to the edge, I found what looked like an abandoned trail. Could see an eroded slope with a bunch of displaced logs used to mark and stabilize the trail. I was happy and Kris again unhappy. He stood there while I went down the path.

 

Abandoned trail
Abandoned trail

 

Went down a steep eroded place next to the logs, nothing too bad. Views from the upper trail.

On the abandoned trail
On the abandoned trail

 

On the abandoned trail
On the abandoned trail

 

Looking back up at the rim.

 

Looking back at the rim
Looking back at the rim

 

In no time, I was a good 250 vertical feet down into a mini canyon.

 

Mini canyin
Mini canyin

 

Which soon opened up into a meandering dry wash.

 

At the bottom
At the bottom

 

Was very happy that I had finally made it down there. I knew that I should be very careful to memorize where I came down from but having a GPS had made me complacent. The whole place was open for me to explore but I did not want to keep Kris waiting too long. I did radio him every 30 minutes.

 

At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom

 

Could go anywhere but decided to go to a saddle I had seen on Google Earth at the base of a red top peak so got into a dry wash that took me that way.

 

At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom
At the bottom

 

Was soon up the saddle at the base of the peak.

 

From the saddle
From the saddle

 

There actually seemed to be a beaten path going to the top of the peak but it appeared steep. A slip would have meant tumbling down several tens of feet causing serious injury. For my own sake and also because I did not want Kris’ worst predictions to come true, I decided to hike up to the top of a shorter but easier high point on the other side of the saddle. Views from the top.

 

From the high point
From the high point
From the high point
From the high point
From the high point
From the high point
From the high point
From the high point

 

 

Sat there, had my lunch and enjoyed the views, then began to walk back the way I had come.

 

At the bottom
At the bottom

 

At the bottom
At the bottom

 

Back on the ridge-top.

 

Hiking back up
Hiking back up
Hiking back up
Hiking back up

 

 

Kris coming to view.

 

Abandoned trail
Abandoned trail
Abandoned trail
Abandoned trail

 

Was then back up to the top of the plateau. Great views.

 

From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim
From the rim

 

Reached the car at 9:16 AM.

 

 



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