"Petrified Forest National Park" Petrified Forest National Park by vtveen

The landscape of Petrified Forest NP was 225 million (!!!) years ago a vast plain crossed by streams and covered with forests of conifer trees. Trees fell and were swept away into floodplains. Volcanic ash and mud buried the trees. The sediment cut off oxygen; silica-laden water seeped in the logs and they became petrified over millions of years.
Much much later erosion and wind wore away the rock layers and the gigantic petrified logs became exposed for visitors from all over the world.

Petrified Forest NP is located about 25 miles east of Holbrook and has two entrances. We started our exploration at the south Entrance Station, where we bought our ‘America the Beautiful Pass’. It is possible to pay with a credit card.
Be aware: at the turn off from Highway 180 into the park are two big shops selling petrified wood collected from private land; they call themselves ‘museum’, but in my opinion are just tourist traps.

Following the 28-mile park road we passed the three main areas of the park:
- Rainbow, Crystal and Jasper Forest with thousands of petrified logs.
- Blue Mesa area with still some logs but more and more colorful badlands and the cone-shaped formations of The Tepees.
- Painted Desert with indeed stunning colored landscape.

We made walks along the Giant Logs Trail and Crystal Forest Trail and stopped at several points enjoying the vistas of the Painted Desert. Rainbow Forest Museum and Painted Desert Visitor Centre do have a lot of information and friendly and helpful rangers. Painted Desert Inn nowadays is ‘just’ a bookshop and museum.

Collared lizard along Giant Logs Trail

Directions: East of Holbrook; south entrance 19 miles along Highway 180 and north entrance 24 miles along Interstate 40.
Opening hours: Petrified Forest NP is open all year round (except Christmas day).
Admission fee: Vehicles (and passengers) USD 10,- (for 7 days); America the Beautiful Pass costs USD 80,- (valid 12 months for all National Parks).
Warning: it is absolutely forbidden to collect or remove petrified wood or any natural, archeological of historical object from its setting.

Website: http://www.nps.gov/pefo/