Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
106
petrified forest (and a small corner of the Painted Desert), providing a fascinating high-
desert experience.
It may be hard to believe as you drive across this arid landscape, but at one time this
area was a vast steamy swamp. That was 225 million years ago, when dinosaurs and huge
amphibians ruled the earth and giant now-extinct trees grew on the high ground around
the swamp. Fallen trees were washed downstream, gathered in piles in quiet backwaters,
and eventually were covered over with silt, mud, and volcanic ash. As water seeped
through this soil, it dissolved the silica in the volcanic ash and redeposited the silica inside
the cells of the logs. Eventually, the silica recrystallized into stone to form petrified wood,
with minerals such as iron, manganese, and carbon contributing the distinctive colors.
This region was later inundated with water, and thick deposits of sediment buried the
logs ever deeper. Eventually, the land was transformed yet again as a geologic upheaval
thrust the lake bottom up above sea level. This upthrust of the land cracked the logs into
the segments we see today. Wind and water gradually eroded the landscape to create the
Painted Desert, and the petrified logs were once again exposed on the surface of the
land.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
The north entrance to Petrified Forest National Park is 25 miles east
of Holbrook on I-40. The south entrance is 20 miles east of Holbrook on U.S. 180.
FEES
The entry fee is $10 per car. Between late May and early September, the park is
open from 7am to 7pm; other months it is open from 8am to 5pm.
VISITOR INFORMATION
For further information on the Petrified Forest or the
Painted Desert, contact
Petrified Forest National Park,
P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest,
AZ 86028 (
&
928/524-6228;
www.nps.gov/pefo). For information on Holbrook and
the surrounding region, contact the
Holbrook Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center
& Museum,
100 E. Arizona St. (
&
800/524-2459
or 928/524-6558; www.gotouraz.
com/holbrook).
6
EXPLORING A UNIQUE LANDSCAPE
Petrified Forest National Park has both a north and a south entrance. If you are coming
from the west, it's better to start at the southern entrance and work your way north along
the park's 27-mile scenic road, which has more than 20 overlooks. This way, you'll see
the most impressive displays of petrified logs early in your visit and save the Painted
Desert vistas for last. If you're coming from the east, start at the northern entrance and
work your way south.
The
Rainbow Forest Museum
(
&
928/524-6228
), just inside the south entrance to
the park, is the best place to begin your tour. Here you can learn all about petrified wood,
watch an introductory film, and otherwise get oriented. Exhibits chronicle the area's
geologic and human history. There are also displays on the reptiles and dinosaurs that
once inhabited this region. The museum sells maps and books and also issues free back-
packing permits. It's open daily from 8am to 5pm (7am-7pm in summer). Adjacent to
the museum is a snack bar.
The
Giant Logs self-guided trail
starts behind the museum. The trail winds across a
hillside strewn with logs that are 4 to 5 feet in diameter. Almost directly across the park-
ing lot from the museum is the entrance to the
Long Logs
and
Agate House
areas. On
the 1.6-mile Long Logs trail, you can see more big trees, while at Agate House, a 2-mile
round-trip hike will lead you to the ruins of a pueblo built from colorful petrified wood.
These two trails can be combined into a 2.5-mile hike.
