Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Distance
3.5 miles
Difficulty
Moderate-difficult
Elevation Change
800ft
Start/Finish
Unmarked trailhead
Nearest Town/Junction
Tower-Roosevelt Junction
Summary
A must for amateur geologists, this unmaintained trail climbs to several petri-
fied trees and offers fine views. Listen for howling wolves in the early morning.
This hike leads to a couple of isolated patches of petrified forest scattered along Specimen
Ridge, thought to hold the word's largest collection of petrified trees. The forests were
buried suddenly in ash around 50 million years ago or turned to stone by a vengeful Crow
medicine man, depending on your beliefs. See
Click here
f
or more on how trees became
petrified. Paleodendrochronologists (scientists who date fossilized trees, somewhat of a
niche profession!) have identified dozens of different species of trees here, including trop-
ical avocado and breadfruit, with dozens of ancient petrified forests stacked atop even
older petrified forests. Some of the trees were buried where they grew, but others were
probably deposited by a mudflow caused by volcanic eruptions about 50 million years
ago.
Please don't pocket any of the petrified wood here or elsewhere in the park. If you are
desperate for a petrified wood souvenir, then get a permit from the
Gallatin National
Forest Gardiner District Office
( 406-848-7375; 805 Scott St, Gardiner; Mon-
Fri)
and head to Tom Miner Basin (see boxed text,
Click here
) in the Paradise Valley.
This trailhead isn't easy to find, so be sure not to confuse it with the Specimen Ridge
Trail a couple of miles further west. The parking area is marked 'Trailhead' and is just a
few hundred yards west of the Lamar Canyon bridge, 5 miles east of Tower-Roosevelt
Junction and about 1 mile southwest of the turnoff to Slough Creek Campground. Look
for the wheelchair-accessible parking spot.
The trail is not formally maintained by the park service, so it isn't as easy to follow as
most other trails in the park, though visitor centers do have a handout on the hike if you
ask nicely. There is no water along the trail. Keep an eye out for the weather; the exposed
ridge is definitely not the place to be during a lightning storm. Winds can pick up in the
afternoon.
From the
unmarked trailhead
the fairly clear path starts off following a dirt double
track (a former service road to the nearby Crystal Valley) and then veers right after 100yd
