Petrified Forest National Park: A Journey Through Time

The Petrified Forest National Park is located in the northeastern part of Arizona off of Interstate 40. We drove the 28-mile drive through the park, starting at the visitor center  in the Painted Desert and ending at the visitor center in the Petrified Forrest.

This was my husbands favorite place that we visited in Arizona. It is amazing, but I equally loved Sedona and the Saguaro National Park. Actually, I loved everything about Arizona! 😊

 There are many overlooks and places to hike along the route. Park Map

Some of the fossils found in the park indicate that the area was once a tropical region.

More than 200 million years ago, flourishing trees and vegetation covered much of this area of Northeastern Arizona. Volcanic lava destroyed the forest and the remains were covered until erosion set them free, revealing the petrified wood.

Petroglyph drawings on rock surfaces are visible within the park. These markings indicate that ancient native people inhabited this region about 10,000 years ago.

The beautiful colors in the petrified wood come mainly from three minerals. The white is pure quartz, manganese oxides form blue, purple, black, and brown, and iron oxides provide hues from yellow through red to brown.

The two men standing by one of the logs really show off the size of these pieces of petrified wood!

I would highly recommend a visit to this park. The history and nature are amazing!

Address:

Petrified Forest National Park
1 Park Road
Petrified Forest, AZ 86028





Happy Travels! 

The Painted Desert: A Natural Masterpiece in Arizona

The Painted Desert is an expansive region of rocky badlands and buttes, encompassing more than  93,500 acres in Northern Arizona.

This vast landscape features layers of rock in hues of lavender, red, orange ,pink, and gray. The various colors are the result of the different mineral content of the sandstone, mud stone, and shale of the Chinle Formation. It is amazing how beautiful dirt and rocks can be!

The section of the Painted Desert that we visited is located in the northern part of the Petrified Forest National Park. Take exit 311 going east or west on I-40.

I would recommend allowing at least a couple of hours for the 28-mile drive through the park. The first part, north of the interstate, will be the Painted Desert. The rest of the drive is the Petrified Forest. Both have many place to stop and walk around.

Address:

1 Park Road, PO Box 2217
Petrified Forest, AZ 86028

Happy Travels!