After driving on long, dusty washboard roads, far from any major city, the road ends and the trail begins. The trail is fairly easy, with not much elevation change from the parking area at 6,260 ft (1,908 m).
The morning we arrived in mid-April, the sky was blue, and the temperature was cool in the lower 40s F (near 5 deg C). There was a light breeze from the south, and the forecast called for strong winds by afternoon.
The area is known for its grey hoodoos with otherworldly formations. There is also plenty of petrified wood, with this being one of the larger pieces sitting on its pedestal of mudstone. The petrified wood is around 75 million years old. Now that it is uncovered and sitting on easily erodible mudstone, how much longer will it rest here?
Shortly after taking this picture, the wind did indeed pick up, and walking back to the parking area was a sandblasting experience.
