Arizona is full of ancient landforms, but the conifer trees in Petrified Forest National Park just might be the oldest. The (now fossilized, of course) wood dates to over 200 million years ago, and it’s truly a spectacular sight to behold.
Part of the Painted Desert, this 135,000-acre park attracts nearly a million visitors each year.
Flickr/mobili It was once home to giant amphibians, some of the earliest dinosaurs, and an ancient forest whose fossilized remains are still visible to this day.
Most of the petrified wood comes from tall conifer trees, which grew over 200 million years ago.
Flickr/andrew_kearn_photography Periodic flooding uprooted them, dispersing their nutrient-rich fibers far and wide.
Split into two distinct landscapes, the park offers vastly different experiences depending on which side you choose.
Flickr/tomaspetkus The north features brilliant red and orange badlands, while the south is where the wood resides.
Fossilized logs, some of which have broken off into fragments over the years, are scattered across the landscape.
Flickr/minniemouseaunt
Once the wood began to deteriorate, quartz formed in its place.
Flickr/westernlandscapes As a result, many of the stumps are now tinted in striking rainbow hues sure to leave you completely enchanted.
On-foot is by far the best way to experience the park.
Flickr/andrew_kearns_photography As a Designated Wilderness Area, Petrified Forest boasts some of the country’s most secluded, unexplored land. There are no official trails, but rather backcountry hiking that leads to sites seldom seen by most visitors.
Plants aren’t the only lifeforms to ever exist in the area.
Flickr/tlposcharsky Humans have occupied this land for 13,000 years, with nomadic groups arriving shortly after the Ice Age. As you hike, notice the anthropomorphic figures covering the rock walls and try to decipher their meanings.
Visit the National Parks Service website or Petrified Forest National Park Facebook page to learn more.
Flickr/mobili
It was once home to giant amphibians, some of the earliest dinosaurs, and an ancient forest whose fossilized remains are still visible to this day.
Flickr/andrew_kearn_photography
Periodic flooding uprooted them, dispersing their nutrient-rich fibers far and wide.
Flickr/tomaspetkus
The north features brilliant red and orange badlands, while the south is where the wood resides.
Flickr/minniemouseaunt
Flickr/westernlandscapes
As a result, many of the stumps are now tinted in striking rainbow hues sure to leave you completely enchanted.
Flickr/andrew_kearns_photography
As a Designated Wilderness Area, Petrified Forest boasts some of the country’s most secluded, unexplored land. There are no official trails, but rather backcountry hiking that leads to sites seldom seen by most visitors.
Flickr/tlposcharsky
Humans have occupied this land for 13,000 years, with nomadic groups arriving shortly after the Ice Age. As you hike, notice the anthropomorphic figures covering the rock walls and try to decipher their meanings.
Have you ever been to Petrified Forest? If so, what’s your favorite thing about it? Let us know!
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Address: Petrified Forest National Park, AZ 86028, USA
