DESERT PARK

This has to be one of the most beautiful, colorful triangulation station locations! It's easy to see here how the Painted Desert earned its name. Low hills of red, yellow, and many shades of green stretch in all directions, beneath a clear blue sky, and lavender wildflowers dot the near landscape. It's interesting to imagine what the old zoo and curio shop across the road must have looked like.

This was a relatively easy mark to reach, requiring just a short hike along the Old Route 66 and then an even shorter cross-desert walk toward the coordinates. The station and reference mark 1 are in very good condition, easy to find and stable. The ground surrounding the monument that holds reference mark 2 has been severely eroded, and although the monument appears to be straight and solid in its setting, there's no way for us to tell for sure. We found an intact witness post near the station, as described. We did not have an opportunity to search for the azimuth mark at this time.