Blue Mesa Trail in Petrified Forest (1 of 4)

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).