The Painted Desert is an ancient Inland Sea bed where the hills are the result of rain, weather and erosion.
The slopes and shapes include many different colours and shades of orange, brown, red, yellow and white, and it is the coloured shale on the faces of the hills from which the name “Painted Desert” came.
The various shapes are formed when the top layers of soil dry out and fall away to reveal the beautiful rich colours underneath.
