Sunday, September 26, 2010

Petrified Forest NP - Crystal Forest

I liked the Crystal Forest Trail much more than the supposedly prettier the Giant Logs Trail. As the name suggests the logs at Crystal Forest are full of crystals and, therefore, shine in the sun. All that due to the presence of silica, colored with oxides of iron and manganese, that permineralized the logs thousands of year ago...

The Crystal Forest Trail is only 0.75 mile long, it is paved and wheel-chair accessible, so it makes for a nice and easy hike. Even on an extremely hot day.

A few pics from the trail: