Petrified Forest National Park is located in northern Arizona about 25 miles east of Holbrook. It is an interesting place, rich with human and geographical history. Visitors may expect to see green forests that once stood here but instead find petrified logs, fossils and petroglyphs in what is now a barren but colorful desert. Petrified Forest National Park has one of the largest collections of petrified wood in the world.
The park is entirely within the Painted Desert which, in itself, is an interesting and colorful part of Northern Arizona. It starts south of Holbrook and extends about 120 miles north almost to the Utah border. It encompasses about 7,500 square miles of the Colorado Plateau. The area is made up of colorful mudstone and sandstone known as the Chinle Formation. The rocks of the Chinle Formation were deposited from 227 to 205 million years ago during the Triassic Period. Over the next 180 million years the rocks were buried, uplifted and then eroded into the present-day badland topography.
Between 900AD and 1200AD native people inhabited the Painted Desert. In an area so dry it would seem impossible to live, they built pueblos, harvested rainwater, grew crops and raised families. Their way of life was the key to survival in this harsh landscape. These people survived here, farming one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. They developed the skills to farm the land and endure hardship in an area where many would not. These ancestral Puebloan people used petrified wood not only for tools but also as a building material. Located on top of a small hill, Agate House Pueblo was built almost entirely of petrified wood and sealed with mud mortar. These thought-provoking remains bring to mind the innovativeness in building and the environmental challenges faced by these indigenous peoples. Based on nearby similar buildings, this pueblo was most likely part of a much larger community of "seasonal farmers or traders". Agate House was partially reconstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933-34 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 6, 1975.
The Painted Desert Inn, located on Kachina Point has undergone many changes in its one hundred year history. The original structure, built from petrified wood by Herbert David Lore in the early 1920's was operated as a tourist attraction. Visitors could eat meals and the inn had six small rooms to accommodate overnight guests. In the 1930’s the property was purchased by Petrified Forest National Monument and the building was rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corp. In 1940 the inn was reopened for meals, souvenirs and lodging. Once again during World War II the inn was closed. After the war, the inn was taken over and operated by the Fred Harvey Company. The company’s famed architect, Mary Colter, redesigned the building to give it a Southwestern look which is maintained today. The building was registered as a national historic landmark in 1987 and now serves only as a museum with no overnight accommodation and food service.
Fossils found in Petrified Forest National Park show that the area was once a tropical region, filled with towering trees and prehistoric animals. Archaeologists have also found evidence that ancient native people inhabited this region about 10,000 years ago. Ancient petroglyphs give a glimpse of the past and you can see the markings of a solar calendar at Puerco Pueblo.
Petrified wood started forming in the area when trees were toppled by volcanic eruptions. The logs were swept away by flowing water, deposited in marshes and covered with mud and volcanic ash. Buried under layers of sediment, the logs remained underground for millions of years, undergoing an extremely slow process of petrification. The volcanic ash and mud released chemicals during decomposition of the wood. The chemicals reacted with the wood to form quartz crystals. Other minerals in the water such as iron or manganese gave the quartz red and pink hues. Over millions of years, the quartz crystals replaced the wood and slowly turned the logs to stone. Eventually the area became covered with an ocean, blanketing the petrified logs with even more sediment. About 60 million years ago the ocean receded and was replaced with flowing rivers that eroded the sediment and exposed the petrified wood. Today the petrified wood covers the landscape at the Petrified Forest National Park. There are probably millions of pounds of petrified logs that still remain buried deep in the ground. Eventually, continuing erosion will expose even more of them. This continuing exposure is especially evident where petrified logs are sticking out of hillsides.
The park has four main areas of petrification; Blue Mesa, Jasper Forest, Crystal Forest and Rainbow Forest. Blue Mesa is named after the bluish-gray mounds of clay that the logs rest in. As the clay erodes away, more logs are revealed. The mounds in this area are very much like the "badland" formations found in North and South Dakota.
Jasper Forest occupies a large barren valley but has numerous logs scattered all over. Unfortunately, this spot was once popular with early collectors and prospectors who hauled off many of the logs. Nearby is Agate Bridge, a complete log spanning a dry creek bed.
The Crystal Forest gets its name from the logs here which contain clear quartz and purple amethyst crystals making for beautiful logs. Unfortunately, souvenir hunters long ago hauled away many of the best samples. A few crystallized logs remain but the more typical petrified logs are more abundant. The disappearance of the crystal logs led to the area's protection as a National Monument in 1906 and finally a National Park in 1962.
The Rainbow Forest is located near the visitor center and museum at the south end of the park. This area has an abundance of petrified logs. Several trails wind through this section taking you to the Giant Forest where you'll find the largest logs.
Historic US Highway 66, also known as the “Mother Road”, is more than just a stretch of pavement. It is also an American icon, a symbol of opportunity, adventure and discovery. Better known in literature, song, and story as Route 66, it was a ribbon of highway over two thousand miles long that connected Middle America to the Pacific coast. Petrified Forest is the only National Park in the country that contains a section of Route 66. This stretch of highway was open from 1926 until 1958 and was the primary way millions of travelers accessed the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Near Tiponi Point and the Painted Desert a section of the original roadbed, minus the pavement, has been preserved along with interpretive signs and a rusty 1932 Studebaker.
The park is entirely within the Painted Desert which, in itself, is an interesting and colorful part of Northern Arizona. It starts south of Holbrook and extends about 120 miles north almost to the Utah border. It encompasses about 7,500 square miles of the Colorado Plateau. The area is made up of colorful mudstone and sandstone known as the Chinle Formation. The rocks of the Chinle Formation were deposited from 227 to 205 million years ago during the Triassic Period. Over the next 180 million years the rocks were buried, uplifted and then eroded into the present-day badland topography.
Between 900AD and 1200AD native people inhabited the Painted Desert. In an area so dry it would seem impossible to live, they built pueblos, harvested rainwater, grew crops and raised families. Their way of life was the key to survival in this harsh landscape. These people survived here, farming one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. They developed the skills to farm the land and endure hardship in an area where many would not. These ancestral Puebloan people used petrified wood not only for tools but also as a building material. Located on top of a small hill, Agate House Pueblo was built almost entirely of petrified wood and sealed with mud mortar. These thought-provoking remains bring to mind the innovativeness in building and the environmental challenges faced by these indigenous peoples. Based on nearby similar buildings, this pueblo was most likely part of a much larger community of "seasonal farmers or traders". Agate House was partially reconstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933-34 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 6, 1975.
The Painted Desert Inn, located on Kachina Point has undergone many changes in its one hundred year history. The original structure, built from petrified wood by Herbert David Lore in the early 1920's was operated as a tourist attraction. Visitors could eat meals and the inn had six small rooms to accommodate overnight guests. In the 1930’s the property was purchased by Petrified Forest National Monument and the building was rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corp. In 1940 the inn was reopened for meals, souvenirs and lodging. Once again during World War II the inn was closed. After the war, the inn was taken over and operated by the Fred Harvey Company. The company’s famed architect, Mary Colter, redesigned the building to give it a Southwestern look which is maintained today. The building was registered as a national historic landmark in 1987 and now serves only as a museum with no overnight accommodation and food service.
Fossils found in Petrified Forest National Park show that the area was once a tropical region, filled with towering trees and prehistoric animals. Archaeologists have also found evidence that ancient native people inhabited this region about 10,000 years ago. Ancient petroglyphs give a glimpse of the past and you can see the markings of a solar calendar at Puerco Pueblo.
Petrified wood started forming in the area when trees were toppled by volcanic eruptions. The logs were swept away by flowing water, deposited in marshes and covered with mud and volcanic ash. Buried under layers of sediment, the logs remained underground for millions of years, undergoing an extremely slow process of petrification. The volcanic ash and mud released chemicals during decomposition of the wood. The chemicals reacted with the wood to form quartz crystals. Other minerals in the water such as iron or manganese gave the quartz red and pink hues. Over millions of years, the quartz crystals replaced the wood and slowly turned the logs to stone. Eventually the area became covered with an ocean, blanketing the petrified logs with even more sediment. About 60 million years ago the ocean receded and was replaced with flowing rivers that eroded the sediment and exposed the petrified wood. Today the petrified wood covers the landscape at the Petrified Forest National Park. There are probably millions of pounds of petrified logs that still remain buried deep in the ground. Eventually, continuing erosion will expose even more of them. This continuing exposure is especially evident where petrified logs are sticking out of hillsides.
The park has four main areas of petrification; Blue Mesa, Jasper Forest, Crystal Forest and Rainbow Forest. Blue Mesa is named after the bluish-gray mounds of clay that the logs rest in. As the clay erodes away, more logs are revealed. The mounds in this area are very much like the "badland" formations found in North and South Dakota.
Jasper Forest occupies a large barren valley but has numerous logs scattered all over. Unfortunately, this spot was once popular with early collectors and prospectors who hauled off many of the logs. Nearby is Agate Bridge, a complete log spanning a dry creek bed.
The Crystal Forest gets its name from the logs here which contain clear quartz and purple amethyst crystals making for beautiful logs. Unfortunately, souvenir hunters long ago hauled away many of the best samples. A few crystallized logs remain but the more typical petrified logs are more abundant. The disappearance of the crystal logs led to the area's protection as a National Monument in 1906 and finally a National Park in 1962.
The Rainbow Forest is located near the visitor center and museum at the south end of the park. This area has an abundance of petrified logs. Several trails wind through this section taking you to the Giant Forest where you'll find the largest logs.
Historic US Highway 66, also known as the “Mother Road”, is more than just a stretch of pavement. It is also an American icon, a symbol of opportunity, adventure and discovery. Better known in literature, song, and story as Route 66, it was a ribbon of highway over two thousand miles long that connected Middle America to the Pacific coast. Petrified Forest is the only National Park in the country that contains a section of Route 66. This stretch of highway was open from 1926 until 1958 and was the primary way millions of travelers accessed the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Near Tiponi Point and the Painted Desert a section of the original roadbed, minus the pavement, has been preserved along with interpretive signs and a rusty 1932 Studebaker.
This gallery contains some of my favorite Petrified Forest National Park images that are available as downloads and fine art prints. To view the gallery, click here or on the photo collage above. When you are in the gallery, click on a thumbnail to enlarge an image. To navigate the images click on the arrows. To see the captions click on the (i) symbol.
