Wilderness Loop

From the inn, the Wilderness Access Trail drops steeply to Lithodendron Wash. The route reaches Flat Iron Panel, then heads north through a branching drainage and climbs onto a mesa near Gregory Stump. From there it retraces toward the canyon exit, skirts the badlands to Angel's Garden, and continues about 1.5 miles to Chalcedony Forest. Turn east-northeast through a gap in a badland wall, cross a pale open plain to an old wooden road grader, then head south around a long badland arm to Lithodendron Forest. A small wash leads back to Lithodendron Wash and the climb to the inn. Onyx Bridge is a separate side trip; it is not part of the distance or route shown here.

Once you leave the access trail, most of this route has no built path. Faint tracks come and go, and the written directions can be hard to match to the washes and mesas; a field report describes losing the line near Gregory Stump. Get the current wilderness route handout at a visitor center and carry it with a GPS route loaded. Use the named landmarks and drainage choices rather than following every faint track.

The logs are roughly 210 million years old, preserved in the Black Forest bed of the Chinle Formation. Angel's Garden is known for yellow-toned wood; Chalcedony Forest has much darker pieces, while Lithodendron Forest adds another deposit on the return. Flat Iron Panel has rock art on a boulder beside the wash. Look from a respectful distance and leave the wood, fossils and cultural features exactly where they are.

Expect loose stones, steep badland edges and occasional mild scrambling. Skirting the edges of the formations is easier and safer than cutting straight over their loose slopes. Several stretches follow washes, where snowmelt or monsoon runoff can bring high water, thick mud or quicksand. There is little shade and no water in the backcountry, so carry what you need for a long day and do not start late.

Park at the Painted Desert Inn / Kachina Point lot; the Wilderness Access Trail begins to the left of the inn. Allow about 6 to 8 hours for the mapped loop, including navigation and time at the wood deposits. Day hikers do not need a permit for this route, but must be back at their vehicle by the park's posted closing time. Pets are allowed in designated wilderness on a leash no longer than six feet. There is no food stop along the route.