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| Painted Desert Inn |
The 0.85-mile round trip Kachina Point Trail sits in the park’s northern section. It appears on some maps as the Onyx Bridge Trail, which actually is a cross-country extension of this route. Only hike the trail September through May to avoid the summer’s oppressive and dangerous heat.
To reach the trailhead, from Interstate 40, exit north onto Park Road and enter the park. After passing through the entrance station, continue along the road to the Kachina Point overlook on the right; this is where the historic Painted Desert Inn is located. Park at the inn.
Painted Desert Inn
The trail starts on the inn’s east side. Originally built of petrified wood in 1924, the National Park Service purchased it in 1936. Over the next four years, the Civilian Conservation Corp remodeled it into the adobe structure that exists today.
The Fred Harvey Company, which operated a chain of restaurants and hotels at railroad stops in the West, ran it for Route 66 travelers from 1947 until 1963 when it closed. Since 2006, the inn has served as a museum and gift shop for the park.
At 0.15 miles, the walkway reaches Kachina Point, which offers a grand vista of the badlands. The red rock on the Painted Desert was set down around 212-215 million years ago when rivers deposited sediment in this part of the world. You’re at 5863 feet elevation.
You stand a good chance of seeing wildlife along the trail. Road runners can be spotted at the inn. Usually the pawprints of rabbits and chipmunks, hoofprints of deer, and the caws of ravens typically are found on the trail. If lucky, you’ll see pronghorn antelope grazing in the grasslands punctuating the badlands.
Head back to the building's west side and follow it until at 0.25 miles when you can pick up a dirt trail heading north to the rim. Go right/north onto it.
Badlands
Once at the edge, the trail switchbacks down the mesa side into the badlands.
Along the way, you’ll pass white tuft in the badlands. These is the ash from ancient volcanoes that fell here.
The trail soon enters a wash between two red mesas. After a rain or following a snowmelt, the trail can be muddy and leave shallow pools.
When the trail reaches a split in the wash at 0.55 miles, turn back.
The point and the trail named are named for Hopi Kachinas, which are spirits of deities, natural elements, animals, or deceased ancestors.
There’s no shade at all on the trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
TOPO MAP
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