
Painted Desert Inn
This inn has spend almost 100 years overlooking the Painted Desert.
Plan Around Painted Desert Inn
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Painted Desert Inn Details
In its almost 100 years overlooking the Painted Desert, this historic inn has undergone many changes. The original building from the early 1920s was made of petrified wood; today's adobe facade dates to a 1930s renovation of the Painted Desert Inn. The main building and adobe guest casitas were designed in Pueblo Revival style by National Park Service architect Lyle E. Bennett and others from the Park Service Branch of Plans and Design. Construction was completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937-1940. Interior design elements were created Mary Jane Colter for the Fred Harvey Company, who operated the inn between 1946-1962. Highlights include the color scheme, picture windows, and murals by famous Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. The inn closed to guests in 1963, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The building functions only as a museum now, with no overnight accommodations. Displays inside highlight the building's history, Route 66, and the CCC. Ranger-led tours are scheduled in summer months. Facilities include parking and accessible restrooms.
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Low
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Nearby Parks Around Painted Desert Inn
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Nearby Points of Interest Around Painted Desert Inn
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Painted Desert Inn while the map context is still fresh.
0.0 mi away
Painted Desert Rim Trail
The unpaved Painted Desert Rim Trail begins from either Tawa Point or Kachina Point, just north of the Visitor Center in the northern unit of the park.
0.1 mi away
Kachina Point
The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark at Kachina Point once served as a way station for travelers along historic Route 66.
0.4 mi away
Tawa Point
The Painted Desert Rim Trail has trailheads at Tawa Point and Kachina Point; it's about a one-mile roundtrip between the two points.
0.4 mi away
Chinde Point
The Navajo word "chinde" means ghost or unwelcome spirit, perhaps a reference to the dinosaur bones found in abundance here.
0.6 mi away
No Name Point
Visitors who enter Petrified Forest National Park at the north entrance can head north past a number of scenic overlooks, each providing a view of the Painted Desert.