A lot of people outside of North Dakota aren’t aware that this state has any forests at all, let alone forests of 60-million-year-old prehistoric tree stumps! While sometimes the term “lone tree state” has been tossed around to describe ND’s vast and treeless prairies, long ago during the days of the saber-toothed cats and mammoths, the state was covered in a dense forest. The forest may be gone, but remnants of it still remain, and you can visit them yourself right here in the Peace Garden State.

Tens of millions of years ago, what is now North Dakota was a marshy forest. Massive trees relating to today’s redwoods stood up to 100 feet high and 12 feet in diameter. Now, those trees have been naturally preserved and on display on trails like the Petrified Forest Loop in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

parksvisitor/Tripadvisor

On the trail, you can walk through the massive petrified tree stumps and imagine what they were like back in prehistoric times.

warrenville111/Tripadvisor

And when we say massive, we mean it! These are huge stumps that have been mineralized into the unique, fascinating monuments of history.

sonybalony/Tripadvisor

Throughout this almost alien-looking landscape, you’ll likely find full stumps, parts of logs, and more shattered bits and pieces of trees that once were.

Matt McClure/Google

The Petrified Forest Trail is great for all kinds of geological formations other than the petrified wood. The “hoodoo” rock formations, sometimes described as mushroom-shaped, are another thing you can see there. This is also a good spot to see just how the “painted canyons” of the badlands got their nickname.

Greg Stringham/Google

All along this area, you’ll see the stumps, perched atop the earth. It is truly a magical place to be when you realize just how old these are.

Greg Stringham/Google

This is a spot you’ll definitely want to bring your camera, too. The photos you make will certainly stand out among other typical landscape shots.

Greg Stringham/Google

This area just goes to show some of the awesome parts of North Dakota that many people don’t even realize are there. There are indeed forests in North Dakota, both lush and alive as well as ones like this that come from a time long before ours.

parksvisitor/Tripadvisor

Petrified tree stumps can be found through quite a large area of western North Dakota and beyond, but the Petrified Forest Loop Trail is definitely your best option for experiencing them. The trail is in the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora, North Dakota.

parksvisitor/Tripadvisor

warrenville111/Tripadvisor

sonybalony/Tripadvisor

Matt McClure/Google

Greg Stringham/Google

If you want to visit a living forest of today in North Dakota, why not check out this one?

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.