Tag - geology

Artist's Drive 46

Unusual Color Palette: Artist’s Drive and Artist’s Palette

Location: Death Valley National Park Area: Furnace Creek GPS Coordinates:  N 36 19.798 W 116 49.792 Artist’s Drive, as well as famous Artist’s Palette, is located in the Black Mountains on the territory of Death Valley National Park. This is a scenic drive (one way road) that takes visitors through the colorful area. Artist’s Drive is a nine-mile road that travels from south to north. It ascends above the salt flat of Badwater and opens impressive, fabulous and unforgettable views. This road carves through the high [...]

Zabriskie Point 15

Dramatic views and geological history – Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park

Location:    Death Valley National Park, Furnace Creek Area Round Trip:    2.9 miles from Golden Canyon GPS Coordinates:    N 36 25.258 W 116 48.578 Death Valley National Park is a 3.4 million acre park that is the largest park in the contiguous states of the USA.  This unusual valley is surrounded by steep mountain ranges. There are the Panamint Mountains to the west, and the Black, Funeral, and Grapevine Mountains to the east. Its highest point is Telescope Peak, at 11,049 feet. Death Valley [...]

Arch Trail 29

Exploring the Clarno Unit: Arch Trail

Location: Clarno Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,5 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Gain: 200 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 54.794 W 120 24.562 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   Eastern part of Oregon will amaze you with a significant natural attraction - John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This fantastic national monument introduces the visitors to the 40 million years evolution history of plants and animals, showing also the change of climate and various ecosystems which existed throughout all these millions of years. John Day [...]

Geologic Time Trail 26

50 Million Years’ History of the Geologic Time Trail

Location: Clarno Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,5 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: None GPS Coordinates: N 44 54.794 W 120 24.562 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   The Geologic Time Trail is one of three Clarno Unit’s trails, allowing the visitors fully enjoy the striking Palisades and investigate the spectacular, unique fossils, telling us the story of the distant past, when Clarno Unit was not an arid, desert area, but a tropical forest full of various flora and fauna representatives. This trail provides [...]

Painted Hills Overlook Trail 14

The Best Views of the Painted Hills Overlook Trail

Location: Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,5 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 100 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 38.997 W 120 16.005 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   One more option to enjoy some really scenic views of the Painted Hills and get the most out of this incredible area is hiking the Painted Hills Overlook Trail. It’s much shorter than the Carroll Rim Trail, but the fabulous views it opens for its visitors are highly competitive with those of the Carroll [...]

Leaf Fossil Trail 31

The secret treasure of the Leaf Fossil Trail

Location: Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,25 miles loop Difficulty: Easy GPS Coordinates: N 44 38.57 W 120 17.151 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   At first glance the Leaf Fossil Trail (which is also known as the Leaf Hill Trail) may seem the least remarkable out of all trails meandering throughout the Painted Hills Unit. You will not find here the sweeping views or incredible panoramas of undulating, variegated hills of the unit. But this trail has something more [...]

Trail of Time 5

Breathtaking Trail of Time

Location:    Grand Canyon, South Rim Round Trip:    2,83 miles Difficulty:    Easy GPS Coordinates:    N 36 3.969 W 112 7.055 Visitor’s Information:    Open all year round, No Pass Required Magnificent and fascinating Grand Canyon astonished and attracted people for hundreds of years. But in spite of all uniqueness and incredible geologic history of Grand Canyon, there was no any program showing, teaching or explaining its geologic significance on a worldwide scale, until in 2007 Yavapai Observation station was rededicated as a Geology Museum, and [...]