Checkerboard Mesa [Suggest Edits]

Description

If you're a Geology buff, or you just like looking at pretty rocks, be sure to stop at Checkerboard Mesa. Located just off of Hwy. 9, you can see this mesa (and its namesake criss-cross erosional patterns that create a "checkerboard" pattern) from the comfort of your car. If, however, you're interested in exploring a little further, you can venture from the East Rim Station parking area to the top of this geologic oddity.

Checkerboard Mesa is an example of two weathering processes happening at once. One is controlled by stratigraphy and the other by climate. The "checkerboard" results from the roughly perpendicular sets of grooves that have been carved into the Navajo Sandstone. If you're interested in learning more about the Checkerboard Mesa's unique geology, take a look at #5 on this document.

Short Walk: Either seen from the road or from above (via a short hike to the mesa's summit). Regardless, this is very easy to get to.

Gem Type: Geologic Feature