Red Basin/Clam Beds Hike
This 6-mile round-trip hike is part of newly acquired land within Petrified Forest National Park.
Plan Around Red Basin/Clam Beds Hike
A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.
Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Red Basin/Clam Beds Hike Details
A brochure is available at the visitor's center detailing this hike. This 6-mile round-trip hike is part of newly acquired land within Petrified Forest National Park. Once BLM land, this fossil-rich site was transferred to the NPS in 2007 and is now a protected area. Red Basin/Clam Beds hikers will see vibrantly colored badlands, representing geology that is over 215 million years old, as well as petrified wood, petroglyphs, unique erosional formations called hoodoos and fossil clam beds. Using a GPS unit is highly recommended on this hike, and coordinates can be found [here](http://www.nps.gov/pefo/upload/Red-Basin-Clam-Beds-Hike.pdf). Visitors should park at the small pull-off on the left, immediately before the split on the Blue Mesa Loop Road. Hikers will walk back down the side of the road until they see a wooden barrier with an "Authorized Vehicles Only" sign. Hikers should walk past the barrier and continue east, following the base of Blue Mesa until reaching a natural amphitheater on the left with examples of conglomerate sandstone and petrified wood eroding out of the bluffs. Hikers will continue to follow the base of the mesa in a counterclockwise loop, coming upon sandstone blocks with thousands of fresh-water clam fossils that date to 218 million years ago. Further along, hikers will see colorful badlands and a hoodoo formation nicknamed The Sandcastle.
Difficulty
Moderate
Distance
6 miles
Estimated time
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Red Basin/Clam Beds Hike
Compare nearby parks around Red Basin/Clam Beds Hike when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Red Basin/Clam Beds Hike
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Red Basin/Clam Beds Hike while the map context is still fresh.
1.0 mi away
Blue Mesa Trail
Beginning at the Blue Mesa sun shelter, this 1-mile loop trail descends from the mesa into the badlands.
1.1 mi away
Billings Gap Overlook Hike
This off-the-beaten-path hike is slightly less than 3 miles round-trip, and takes visitors to a viewpoint of the Billings Gap area and badlands east of Blue Mesa.
1.3 mi away
Blue Mesa Loop Road
This 3.5-mile loop drive provides easy access to the Blue Mesa region of Petrified Forest National Park.
1.3 mi away
Blue Mesa
Some of the park's most beautiful badlands, the Blue Mesa area is accessible via a 3.5-mile loop road off the main park highway.
1.5 mi away
Blue Forest Trail
The Historic Blue Forest Trail is 1.5 miles one-way, including 1.2 miles off the beaten path and .3 miles on the Blue Mesa Loop Trail.
