Region, north-central Arizona, U.S. It stretches about 150 mi (240 km) from the Grand Canyon to Petrified Forest National Park and has an area of about 7,500 sq mi (19,425 sq km).
The name was first used in 1858 by a government explorer to describe the area's brilliantly coloured rock surfaces, exposed by erosion. A large part of the desert lies within Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations. The Navajo peoples use the various sands for their ceremonial sand paintings.