Between the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts lies the Painted Desert of Northern Arizona, a stunning landscape shaped over millions of years. Named El Desierto Pintado by Spanish colonialists, the area has long been home to the Navajo and Hopi peoples.
Spanning about 7,500 square miles of the Colorado Plateau, the Painted Desert stretches from south of Holbrook nearly to Grand Canyon National Park. Its mudstone and sandstone layers, known as the Chinle Formation, display vivid hues of lavender, gray, red, orange, and pink. This colorful badland topography is the result of slow, ongoing natural processes—uplift, erosion, volcanic activity, earthquakes, floods, and relentless sun—creating one of Northern Arizona’s most captivating and ever-changing landscapes.
Spanning about 7,500 square miles of the Colorado Plateau, the Painted Desert stretches from south of Holbrook nearly to Grand Canyon National Park. Its mudstone and sandstone layers, known as the Chinle Formation, display vivid hues of lavender, gray, red, orange, and pink. This colorful badland topography is the result of slow, ongoing natural processes—uplift, erosion, volcanic activity, earthquakes, floods, and relentless sun—creating one of Northern Arizona’s most captivating and ever-changing landscapes.
This gallery contains some of my favorite Painted Desert images that are available as downloads and fine art prints. To view the gallery, click here or on the photo collage above. When you are in the gallery, click on a thumbnail to enlarge an image. To navigate the images click on the arrows. To see the captions click on the (i) symbol.
