Lacey Point

Lacey Point is a roadside overlook about five miles from the park’s north entrance. From here, the Painted Desert opens toward Pintado Point and Pilot Rock. There’s auto parking and an interpretive exhibit, so this is an easy short pause on the park drive rather than a walk to plan around.

Pintado Point and Pilot Rock are capped with basalt of the Bidahochi Formation, above the red Chinle Formation. That dark line makes the mesas stand out against the layered Painted Desert. The darker caps make the two mesas easy to pick out against the lighter badlands.

This is a scenic photo stop. Include some of the red ridges and scrub in the foreground, with the dark mesa line above; that gives the view more depth than a strip of distant horizon alone. The light and shadows shift the colors, so a second look on the drive can show a different pattern.

It’s named for Iowa congressman John Fletcher Lacey, who helped establish Petrified Forest as a national monument and backed the Antiquities Act. The 1900 Lacey Act, which also carries his name, protects plants and wildlife.