Petrified Forest National Park According to , the bell may not ring even though more than 500,000 people visited last year. National Park Service data.
“People come to the Petrified Forest frequently, unintentionally. They’re usually on their way to and from the Grand Canyon, or on their way to spring training during spring break,” said park ranger Jessica Barnett.
The park is located just off Interstate 40 in eastern Arizona, about 3 hours from Arizona. albuquerque international sunport Located 3 and a half hours away from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by car.
“What’s really great about this park is that there’s something for everyone,” Barnett said. “I don’t think people realize when they walk in, ‘Hmm, it’s petrified wood. What’s so good about that?’ There’s so much more.”
Find out what travelers need to know about Petrified Forest, the newest national park in USA TODAY’s annual series.
What is special about Petrified Forest National Park?
The petrified forest itself triassic park. More than 200 million years of his history, including the origin of his name, has been preserved. petrified wood.
that’s the only place Chindesaurus Fossils have been discovered so far. coelophysis Fossils have also been found within the park, but dinosaurs represent only a small portion of the prehistoric life that once thrived on more than 221,000 acres.
“Everything else is ancient reptiles, ancient mammalian ancestors, or ancient plants,” Burnett says.
Visitors can watch paleontologists study the park’s various fossils and artifacts. Museum demonstration lab Or ask a park ranger about the more modern history of the Petrified Forest.
“We are working to restore the prairie dog population, so we may one day be able to reintroduce prairie dogs. black footed ferret“This is North America’s most endangered mammal,” Barnett said.
Some of the historic buildings are also preserved in the park. National Route 66.
Which Native American tribes were in the Petrified Forest?
“We have an incredible record of the people and human history within the park. – It’s been going on for over 13,000 years,” Barnett said.
Thirty-six indigenous tribes are connected to this land.
- Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation
- Havasupai Tribe of Havasupai Reservation
- Hopi Tribe of Arizona
- Hualapai Indian Tribe on the Hualapai Indian Reservation
- Jicarilla Apache Nation
- Kaibab Indian Reservation Paiute Kaiba Band of Indians
- Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony
- Moapa Band of Paiute Indians on the Moapa River Indian Reservation
- Navajo tribe
- Okay, Owinge.
- Utah Paiute Indian Tribe
- Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona
- Pueblo of Acoma
- Pueblo of Cochiti
- Pueblo of Isleta
- Pueblo of Jemez
- Pueblo of Laguna
- Pueblo of Nambe
- Pueblo of Picuris
- Pueblo of Pohoac
- Pueblo of San Felipe
- Pueblo of San Ildefonso
- sandia pueblo
- pueblo of santa ana
- pueblo of santa clara
- pueblo of taos
- Pueblo of Tesuque
- Zia’s Pueblo
- San Carlos Apache Tribe of San Carlos Reservation
- Paiute San Juan, Southern Arizona
- Santo Domingo Pueblo
- Tohono Oodham Nation, Arizona
- Tonto Apache Tribe of Arizona
- White Mountain Apache Tribe of Fort Apache Reservation
- Yavapai Apache Camp Verde Indian Reservation
- Zuni people on the Zuni reservation
Can I get stones from the petrified forest?
no. federal law Prohibits the removal, defacement, or sale of archaeological resources on public or Indigenous lands.
Leave no trace:How to protect national parks for future generations
Why is the Petrified Forest cursed?
“There’s a very interesting history of bad things happening after people ingested petrified wood and linking it to ingesting petrified wood,” Barnett said. “I think it’s more guilt than anything else.”
She said the park likes to focus on the good.
“You’re not a bad person and you’re cursed if you get a tree, you’re a good person to leave it for posterity. That’s a very big part of the Park Service’s mission,” she said.
How long does it take to pass through Petrified Forest National Park?
“All highway hikes can be completed in one day,” Barnett says.
According to the park’s website, some itineraries For travelers passing through, it ranges from an hour to half a day; off the beaten path More time will be needed.
“It’s easy to spend a few days in the park and experience its full potential,” Barnett said.
Petrified Forest is open from 8am to 5pm MST. Guests who are already at the park gate by 5pm can usually stay until around sunset.Visitors who wish to stay later for certified stargazing international dark sky park You can get a free Dark Sky Viewing Permit at the park’s Painted Desert Visitor Center.
There are no lodges or campsites within the park. wilderness camping You can enter the park with a free permit.
Can I drive through Petrified Forest National Park?
Yes, the park’s main road spans 45 miles and takes about an hour to drive.There is Park admission $25 For private cars.
“If you’re going east, we try to tell people to come through the south entrance, because the GPS always directs people to the north entrance, and then they have to go in and come out again,” Barnett said. said. “If you’re going in the other direction, you can start at either end of the park.”
Visitors can see petrified wood scattered around the southern edge of the park, grouped into five large petrified wood deposits called forests. rainbow forest, crystal forest jasper forest, blue forest,Black forest.
“There is a huge range of colors in petrified wood, the textures you get, and even the appearance of the surface. – Whether it’s sparkling and looking like visible individual crystals, looking like a geode, or all growing together and looking like candle wax,” Barnett said. . “There’s something really great at every stop.”
Is Petrified Forest National Park worth going to?
“That alone is worth the trip,” Barnett said. “If you know what it is, it’s such a great place. If you don’t know, you’re driving down the interstate and you think, ‘It’s like a prairie.’ What’s interesting about this place?’ And then you enter the park and go over the hill and you think, ‘The painted desert is amazing!’ It’s so beautiful! “
To get the most out of their trip, she recommends visitors talk to park rangers who can tell you more about the park.
“It has an incredible history of archaeology, modern biology, geology and paleontology,” she said. “It’s a really nice place, so I hope more people come to see it.”
