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Painted Desert Inn: A History Tour | Arizona

Megan Kopp · January 17, 2024 · 2 Comments

Taking time for a Painted Desert Inn history tour is a quintessential experience for anyone exploring Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona. This post highlights a little adventure learning about this 100-year-old cultural gem that lives on in spite of resting on shaky ground.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something from one of our affiliates, we receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for helping to keep our blog up and running! 

Table of Contents

  • Painted Desert Inn: A tour in time
    • What and where is the Painted Desert?
      • Why build an inn in a remote corner of North America?
    • History of the Painted Desert Inn
      • How parks and the CCC became involved with the Painted Desert Inn 
      • Who was Fred Harvey?
      • How does Harvey’s story tie in with Painted Desert Inn?
    • A self-guided tour of the Painted Desert Inn
      • Desert Art Inn-side 
    • Wrapping up our exploration of Painted Desert Inn’s History
  • When you go on a tour of the historic Painted Desert Inn

Painted Desert Inn: A tour in time

Since 1924, the bones of the Painted Desert Inn have stood on a cliff overlooking its namesake – the Painted Desert. It’s amazing – especially if you consider the fact that this building has many lives. It has escaped demolition more than once in the last century. 

While this national historic landmark no longer offers food for hungry travelers or entertains overnight guests, it does offer a tantalizing glimpse into the past. It allows today’s visitors to travel back to a time when road trips ruled along Route 66. 

Who, what, where, when, why, and how – we found all the answers to your questions – and more – on a self-guided Painted Desert Inn history tour. Join us for a little adventure that will have you planning a road trip to see it yourself.

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Bronze plaque reading Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark in front of a low pink adobe building with American flag flying under blue sky.
Painted Desert Inn became a National Historic Landmark in 1987 (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

What and where is the Painted Desert?

The Painted Desert covers about 1500 square miles (3885 sq km) in the northern part of Petrified Forest National Park, in northeastern Arizona. It is a colourful badlands made up of bentonite clay. Geologists call it the Chinle Formation.

Bentonite is a product of altered volcanic ash and river mud. This loose clay absorbs water like a sponge, swells and then erodes quickly. Plants don’t have much chance of getting a roothold. 

As a result, the brilliant colours of the bentonite remain visible on rounded hills. Their colour comes from iron-rich minerals. It appears painted in bands of vibrant orange, yellow, red, blue, brown, and grey. The Painted Desert almost glows – especially at sunset.

Wooden covered porch overlooking distant red hills below under blue sky.
The view into the badlands of the Painted Desert from the namesake inn is remarkable – but what is more remarkable is the fact that Herbert Lore used to drive guests down there in the late ’20s and early 30s! (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

Why build an inn in a remote corner of North America?

You might think that the inn was built because of its location along Route 66. Painted Desert Inn was on the Mother Road, but that’s not the reason the inn was built. 

In the 1850s, the U.S. government set out to explore the American West to find railway routes. The Southern Pacific survey followed the 35th parallel through a portion of what is now Petrified Forest National Park. This route was constructed in the early 1880s. 

The tracks crossed north of the Rio Puerco just east of the town of Adamana – founded in 1896 when the train arrived. Rumours of wood turned to stone were attractive. Visitors would get off at Adamana to explore the area.

In 1906, Petrified Forest National Monument was established, and awareness of area attractions boomed. Tourism increased. Herbert David Lore saw an opportunity. 

Black and white photo of old stone building with words "Painted Desert Inn, the Stone Tree House, Paint Desert Nat'l Monument" written in white across bottom of image.
Historic photo of the Stone Treehouse in Petrified Forest National Park (Photo Credit: Interpretive Display at Paint Desert Inn)

History of the Painted Desert Inn

Some time around 1919, Lore hired Native American laborers and built an “inn” using the materials at hand – petrified wood and clay. It was nicknamed the “Stone Treehouse.” 

The Stone Treehouse rose on mesa overlooking the Painted Desert. Guests were picked up eight miles (12.9 km) away in Adamana at the train station and brought out to the remote, off-grid property to explore the area’s attractions. Electricity was generated on site. Water was hauled in from Adamana. But it did have that view!

Passenger trains stopped running through Adamana in the 1920s as highways and road trips gained prominence. In 1924 Herbert Lore registered his inn with land office. The property was officially his under the Homestead Act. 

Two years later number 66 was officially assigned to the route from Chicago to Los Angeles. Road trippers followed it through the northern tip of Petrified Forest National Monument. To attract these travelers, Herbert Lore cleared a small loop road – like today’s Rim Drive – offering sweeping views of the Painted Desert. 

Lore also built a route – including a stone bridge that partially exists today – to give touring car treks into the Painted Desert. The family sold Navajo and Hopi arts and crafts and operated the Stone Treehouse for over 10 years.

Black and white photo of a room with a single wooden chair and Native American rugs on walls and floor.
The Trade Room at Painted Desert Inn offered Native American art and crafts for tourists staying at or passing by Herbert Lore’s Stone Treehouse (Photo Credit: Interpretive display at the Painted Desert Inn)

How parks and the CCC became involved with the Painted Desert Inn 

In the 1930s, Petrified Forest National Monument began buying up Lore’s holdings including the inn, which sold for $59,400 in 1936. A National Park Service architect – Lyle Bennett – drew up plans for a complete remodel in Pueblo Revival-style in early summer of that same year, but there was a problem.

Check out more of Lyle Bennett’s work at White Sands National Monument.

The Stone Treehouse was built on top of bentonite clay. As we’ve already learned, bentonite clay is unstable. The foundation was shifting. The project became a much more expensive remodel and to help cut costs, the Civilian Conservation Corps was brought in as labor in August of 1937. 

Water and sewer were installed. New walls and roof were added. The CCC were also tasked with building furniture, creating detailed tinwork light fixtures, and handmade and painted skylight panels for the interior of the building. 

Single light with scalloped metal design hanging from wooden beam in ceiling.
Light fixtures were hand-made from punched tin and reflect a Spanish Colonial influence (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

On July 4, 1940, the Painted Desert Inn – with six guest rooms – opened for business. But the timing – with a war being raged overseas – was off. Two years later the Painted Desert Inn closed its doors.

Love exploring Arizona’s historic sites? You might also like Steam Pump Ranch
in the Oro Valley just north of Tucson!

Who was Fred Harvey?

Fred Harvey was a railway man. He spent a lot of time travelling on business and he didn’t like what he found in the way of accommodations and food. Harvey set out to change that. In 1876 he joined forces with the Santa Fe Railway and opened his first “eating house.” 

Before long, Harvey Houses were popping up all along the line. The service and food were top-quality, but Fred Harvey had another ace up his sleeve. Actually, it was a bevy of aces. It was the Harvey Girls. 

Harvey hired single women between the ages of 18 and 30. They signed a contract to work for a set period – and not to marry while employed with the Fred Harvey Company. Harvey Girls were meticulously trained to provide impeccable service. They wore matching uniforms and followed strict rules. 

In return, they received room and board, a salary, tips, and free train tickets. More than that, they were given adventure and independence. When Fred Harvey died in 1901, there were 47 Harvey House restaurants, 15 hotels, 30 dining cars and hundreds of Harvey Girls on the Santa Fe Railway. 

Image of a green, red and yellow painted fact mask inside circle of paint feathers on a beige wall.
The face of the Hopi sun god, Tawa, was used as the logo for the Fred Harvey Company (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

How does Harvey’s story tie in with Painted Desert Inn?

The Painted Desert Inn reopened in 1946. A year later, the Fred Harvey Company – run by his sons and later grandsons – took over the Inn’s operating contract. They brought in their lead architect and interior designer to bring the property up to company standards.

Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter – renowned for her legacy of work in Grand Canyon National Park – changed out windows to take advantage of the views overlooking the Painted Desert, refreshed the color scheme and hired Hopi painter Fred Kabotie to paint murals in the dining areas. Painted Desert Inn Harvey Girls lived in the former guest rooms on the building’s west side and worked the Inn’s dining room and lunch counter.

You can find even more of Mary Colter’s work in Santa Fe’s La Fonda Hotel.

It was a recipe for success – except for one lingering problem. While the foundation had been repaired, the bentonite surface on which it was built continued to shift. By 1958, structural issues were reported. Five years later, the Fred Harvey Company moved out. The Inn closed its doors. There were calls to demolish the building, but it lingered on the edge, not quite done yet.

Red adobe building with petrified wood and mortar exposed next to edge of a white wood door.
Portions of the original , poorly-constructed Stone Treehouse are visible by the lower back door of the Painted Desert Inn (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

A self-guided tour of the Painted Desert Inn

In 1972, the property is finally on the books for demolition…

Standing outside the property in 2023, we read the rest of the story.

In 1972, the Painted Desert Inn is finally on the books for demolition. But some Park Service employees disagreed and when members of the public caught wind of the plan and raised the alarm, plans changed. The American Bicentennial celebrations saw funds and motivation to fix up the building. In 1975, it opened as a museum and visitor center. Visitors flocked to the old inn bringing renewed interest in preserving the historic gem.

Today, we picked up a copy of the self-guided tour pamphlet in the ranger room and headed downstairs to the original lobby of the Stone Treehouse. We walked outside and peeked into the old guest turned staff rooms.

Narrow staircase between two pink adobe walls leading up to a set of white-painted wood doors.
Each small guest room at the Painted Desert Inn had a mirror, sink, bunkbed, and fireplace (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

After soaking up the views for a few minutes, we circled around to the kitchen entrance, reading interpretive displays about the CCC and the Fred Harvey Company.

We walked the short hall to the Fountain – a.k.a. lunchroom.

“I’ll have a hamburger and malted milk,” I whispered to the ghost of a Harvey Girl standing behind the counter. She smiled and vanished, a vision in my mind only. 

We moved on.

Old cafe interior with log seat at counter and grey wood booths all sitting under log ceiling.
Native American-inspired motifs decorate the Fountain counter seats. Historic photos and drawing were guides for the 2009 reconstruction. Booths – originals built by the CC in the late 1930s – sit again the wall (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

In the dining room we admired the plate glass windows Mary Colter had installed to improve the view. But the views are nothing compared to the brilliant murals on the walls.

Desert Art Inn-side 

Mary Colter had worked with renowned Hopi artist Fred Kabotie on projects in the Grand Canyon. She hired him to paint murals on the inn walls in 1948.

Painted mural with people, corn, and animal figures.
The Corn Planting mural in the dining room shows symbols associated with the planting cycle and related ceremonies (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

In the dining room, the Buffalo Dance mural depicts a Hopi ceremony performed in winter to pray for good hunting and snow. On the eastern wall, Tawa, the Hopi sun god symbolizes the rising sun.

The Three Peaks Mural, Thunderbird Mural, and Corn Planting figures show symbols associated with planting and related ceremonies. The mural of the Salt Trail between the Hopi and Zuni is a nod to ancient trade routes to collect salt as well as pottery, shells, obsidian, and turquoise from distant sources.

Painted mural on wall sits between two windows, below a wooden ceiling and above a table with two grey chairs that sit on a concrete floor.
The peaks represented in the Three Peaks Mural are the San Francisco Peaks. These sacred mountains – near Flagstaff – are visible from the Painted Desert on clear days.(Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

Wrapping up our exploration of Painted Desert Inn’s History

Our last stop was the Trade Room. Looking up at the hand painted skylight panels of the CCC, we appreciate their craft. We studied the mountain petroglyph with mixed feelings of awe and regret. 

We regret that the petroglyph no longer sits on the east side of Blue Mesa but we are in awe of the prehistoric artist who left this tangible link to their culture behind.

Flat brown stone with inscribed lighter brown image of an animal with a long tail riding up over back and four legs with long claws at end of feet.
This mountain lion petroglyph was taken from a panel on the Blue Mesa by Petrified Forest National Monument’s first permanent ranger naturalist in 1934 and is now on display in the Painted Desert Inn (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

Today a woman sits quietly behind an old wood and glass display case and counter, sorting beads, head down. Price tags marked a few items for sale. The Trade Room continues to offer souvenirs to travelers.

Our tour is over, but the work on this unique building is far from done. Park’s staff continue to preserve the historic features of the Painted Desert Inn while making it safe for visitors like us to enjoy and appreciate.

Yes, this 100-year-old cultural gem lives on longer than expected. Time for you to see it for yourself!

Wooden ceiling with large beams separated by painted glass squares with black, red, orange and brown Native American designs.
The beautiful skylight panels in above the lower room stairway were hand-painted by the CCC labourers with designs inspired by Puebloan pottery (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

If you love self-guided tours of historic destinations, be sure to check out these posts:

Self-Guided Walking Tour of St. John’s, Newfoundland
Self-Guided Walking Tour of Nelson, B.C.
Discovering the Past: Self-Guided Walking Tours
The Churches of Chiloe Tour, Chile
Actively Exploring Prince Albert National Park’s Park, Saskatchewan

When you go on a tour of the historic Painted Desert Inn

The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark is open 7 days a week (except Thanksgiving and Christmas) from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Remember that most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving and that times are Mountain Standard year-round.

To access the Painted Desert Inn, take Exit 311 off Interstate 40. The Inn is located on the right approximately 1 ½ miles (2.4 km) from the northern park entrance. 

If driving through the park from the south entrance, continue through the park, crossing over Interstate 40 and following the park road. You will see the Painted Desert Inn parking lot on your left, 1 ½ miles (2.4 km) before reaching the northern park entrance.

There is no fee to enter the Painted Desert Inn itself, but you will need to pay fees to enter Petrified Forest National Park. Check their current fees here.

Read a little more of the history of the Painted Desert Inn in this national park pamphlet.

Painted Desert Inn is a National Historic Landmark. If you like it, check out this list of other National Parks, Monuments and Landmarks in Arizona.

Image of 3 hikers on a lichen-covered cliff with text reading: 76 Arizona National Parks, Monuments, Trails, Landmarks & More. Check into active adventure written across bottom on an orange bar.
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Comments

  1. indiatripplanners says

    January 18, 2024 at 2:29 am

    I absolutely loved your exploration of the Painted Desert Inn’s history! Your specific account and vivid descriptions deliver the previous to life, making it a captivating study for records fanatics like myself. The combo of historic records and non-public insights creates a compelling narrative, and your dedication to maintaining and sharing these memories is surely commendable. Thank you for taking us on a charming ride thru time!

    Reply
    • Megan Kopp says

      January 22, 2024 at 8:55 am

      This building combines art, architecture, and history in a setting that takes one’s breath away – it’s hard not to gush a little about it 😉

      Reply

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