Continuing northwards in the park from the Agate Bridge you enter the area that is most clearly the Painted Desert where the different minerals in the ground have resulted in a rocks showing bands of various colours.

 

At first it just seems to be a normal desert with little to indicate what is to come.

Then you encounter the Dendritic Drainages which have been etched into the desert floor by running water.

A short distance further through the park there is a side trip off the main road which  brings you to the Blue Messa.  There is a trail which allows you to walk down into the Painted Desert and provides a close up view of the layered hills that are normally only seen in the distance.

The following photographs were taken at various points along the Blue Messa Trail.

In some places the wind has eroded the rock into weird and wonderful shapes such as these.

The trail then takes you from the high ground near the roadway down into the valleys of the Blue Messa.

Finally a view from the top of the Blue Messa looking out over the desert.

After returning to the main road through the park from the Blue Messa loop continuing north brings you to The Tepees. These are an isolated set of hills that were eroded into pointed shapes much like tepees. Time has taken its toll of the ones on the left though the right hand one retains a conical shape.

Then on to Newspaper Rock

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