As you leave the canyon, veer to the left at trail marker 3. Pause and look up and south. At the top of the left peak, you’ll notice the face of a fat man old and wise, which points towards the sun’s rise. Did you find this? Yes □ No □

Head down the stairway to heaven, towards the pits of fire. What do you think these are for? Why are they good to use?

Beyond the pits of fire, head south, lower and lower you go, towards the stream Styx, pay the ferryman, cross the stream, and head over the hills and far away. Do you know the story of the River Styx? What does crossing it mean?

Were you able to find your way across? Yes □ No □

When you’re almost at the top of the little hills, notice the forest of bushes with small, dark green, waxy leaves. Put your nose up real close, and smell the leaves. What does their smell remind you of?

Leave the forest of bushes and keep heading up. Soon you’ll see in the distance the white tower, half way toward our final destination. What is this tower? What do you think it’s for? Why do you think it’s placed high in the hills like it is?

When you get to the round-a-bout you’ll notice a large stone ice-cube to your left, and a sitting rock that points to the ancient craftsmen’s art. In this ancient art gallery, look for the frogs, the turtle, the snakes, and more! Who do you think made these? What are they for? When do you think they were made? On our web page, we have some information on what some of these symbols meant to those who created them. Draw a few of them below, and look on the web page to find out their secret meanings, and more information about the people that made them.

When you find the frog sitting on some snakes, you’ll know which path to take. Did you find this direction clue? Yes □ No □

Twist and turn through the painted rocks, stone men to the left, stone men to the right. Walk in the path of the ancient ancestors.

Keep on going, but keep your head up and look to the right to find the Snake King with a cross on his left! Did you find this? Yes □ No □ --- OK, it’s time to leave the land of the painted stones….but don’t forget their voices from the deep past…

As you leave the painted stone forest, you’ll get to lucky trail marker #7. Climb just a bit higher, to the top of the rise, and look to your left. Can you see the giant man-carved pit? What do you think this pit is for? What does it tell you about the environment you are visiting? You can get closer and look inside the pit, but watch your step! It’s a long way straight down, and that’s a fun trip.

OK, now let’s turn to the right, and mosey on down the hill. When you get to the bottom, do you notice anything about the temperature differences between the lands above and below? Is it cooler, or is it warmer? Why do you think that is the case?

In addition to the temperature changes, look around at the vegetation. How is it different that that you saw higher up the foothills? Why do you think that is so?

Continue on the path, and notice the big bushy tree to your left, sticking out over the trail. Touch and feel the plant, noticing its soft leaves, but also notice it has claws! Why do you think this plant, like so many others in the desert, has thorns or spikes? Feel the plants trunk and stems. This plant is called an Ironwood Tree, because it’s very strong and dense. In fact, it is one of the only trees that don’t float. If you put a piece of it in the water, it sinks like, well, like iron!

When you get just beyond and above trail marker number 8, look up and far to your right, and notice the two buck teeth at the top of old smokey. Then look up and straight ahead, where you can just glimpse the lone Sentinel Cactus watching over the desert. Can you name the type of cactus this is? Did you know its bloom is our state flower?

Toward your right you might notice another tall bushy tree. It’s different from the rest in that it has green colored bark. Its name in Spanish means “green stick.” Do you know what we call it? Why do you think the bark is green? Do you remember what photosynthesis is (perhaps that’s a clue?)

Next you’ll cross the Nile stream, and approach the Sentinel, but watch your step! The Nile is not crossed carelessly! Do you know where the Nile River is located? Our stream, while quite a bit smaller, can be just as treacherous during a storm, so never cross a stream with water flowing in it.

To the right, look up and past the pile of copper colored rocks and notice the trident at the top. Do you know what a trident is? (hint, it has three of something) What Greek God is the Trident the symbol of?

Look a little farther to the right, and notice the frozen silver waterfall, made of stone. What do you think that is? Why does it look like a frozen river, and why is it silver colored?

Keep on scanning right, and along the mountains ridge, can you see the giant lizard, also frozen in time…Maybe he’s waiting for you to come and visit with him…

Keep going until you hit the asphalt trail, and glimpse the White Tower.

It’s now time to head back home, so turn to the left on the asphalt road, and follow it around the bend as it turns towards the right. Before you go too far, be sure to pay homage to another tall, lone Sentinel, this one quite a bit older than the other, with four short stubby arms. These arms tell us something about the age of the plant, do you know what that is? How old do you think this sentinel is?

As you go downhill on the paved road, look to your left for some pink flagging tape to mark your way down into the pit! Watch your step as you enter the pit, and, never enter it if you see it filled with water, who knows what might lurk beneath!

As you walk through the pit, notice the walls of it. Do you see layers in the walls? What are those layers called, and what do they mean? They are laid down like the layers of a cake; what does that tell you about when each layer was formed?

Also, notice the curves and ruts in these layers, what do you think caused these layer to form?

Keep veering to your right, and eventually you’ll end up back at the start of the trail! Hope you enjoyed your voyage, and maybe learned a few things. Don’t forget to visit our web page to learn more at: http://www.nakedscience.org/NatureQuest

We hope you enjoyed your journey, and will come back for more and greater adventures another time. Please remember to take only pictures and memories, and to leave nothing but footprints. This place is sacred to many, and important to all, so always cherish it and keep it clean…