Day 3 covered a lot of ground, leaving the Luna Lake Campground on the New Mexico/Arizona border, heading up through the Petrified Forest National Park, and then crossing over towards Flagstaff before approaching the Grand Canyon.
Jess and I did a little bit of birding on our way out from the campground and spotted this nice Cinnamon teal in a little pond.
The Petrified Forest National Park is mainly a driving tour. We didn't have a bounty of time to spare but we made a quick stop at the Crystal Forest which is a paved trail that winds up and down some desert hills scattered with countless petrified trees and colorful collared lizards perched throughout the trail. We also stopped at the small overlook of the most famous feature of the park, the Agate Bridge, which is a petrified tree spanning an eroded drainage. The fossil has been preserved in its place with a concrete beam underneath. All of these fossils were trees that had fallen into an ancient river and were quickly covered by mud or sediment that allowed them to be preserved rather than rot. Over millions of years they fossilized and then were exposed by erosion. Most of the trees are an extinct conifer.
Nizhoni Point was the last stop with a nice overlook of the "Painted Desert".
Nizhoni Point was the last stop with a nice overlook of the "Painted Desert".
After swinging through Flagstaff and resupplying our snacks we headed north and had our intro to the Grand Canyon with the Little Colorado River overlook on Navajo Tribal land. From here, the Little Colorado River canyon gradually deepens as it runs northwest until reaching the Colorado River. The real adventure at this spot was trying to leave the gravel parking area without bottoming out in the RV. I was sweating bullets but we made it out unscathed!
We entered Grand Canyon National Park from the east entrance and our first stop was the Desert View Watchtower area. I don't think I had ever stopped in this place before and I was really amazed to actually see the Colorado River. The view was quite spectacular and I would easily say is the best of the overlooks.
Before reaching the Grand Canyon Visitor Center we pulled off one of the little road pullouts, this one apparently being called Duck On A Rock Viewpoint. Our final destination was Mather Point and we were happy to see a lot of RV's boondocking in the parking lot. We were able to enjoy the sunset from a couple spots and I couldn't help but soak in how many people were surrounding us despite the expansive views. The overlooks were crowded but the worst part was the people scrambling beyond the guard rails. It's no wonder several people plunge to their deaths every year.
We boondocked in the parking lot with all of the other RVs and slept well after a long day on the road. We didn't have reservations so finding the quick and easy parking spots (where allowed) is always a relief.