Land of Liberty Explorers

Overview

Interstate 40 bisects Petrified Forest National Park just east of Holbrook, Arizona. Most of the park’s major attractions are easily accessed from the road, which makes the park a nice stop for travelers on I-40 who want to take break from highway driving. The Painted Desert is north of the highway and large deposits of petrified wood can be found to the south of the interstate.

Park History

In 1905, John Muir moved to Arizona because he believed living in the desert may help his health. He conducted small scale excavations in the area that is now Petrified Forest National Park, and he began urging President Theodore Roosevelt to protect the area. In 1906, Roosevelt used the Antiquities Act to establish Petrified Forest as the country’s second National Monument; Devil’s Tower preceded it. The Civilian Conservation Corps made improvements to the national monument between 1934 and 1942. Petrified Forest became a popular stop for travelers on historic Route 66. In 1966, the monument became Petrified Forest National Park. In 2004, President George W. Bush authorized expansion of the park to 218,533 acres.

What is Petrified Wood?

Petrified wood is a fossil that is created when a tree falls and is buried by sediment. The sediment shields the tree from oxygen, so it does not decay naturally. Instead, ground water penetrates the tree and leaves minerals like calcite or quartz behind. The petrified wood is eventually exposed as the sediment erodes. It seems like there is a lot of petrified wood in Petrified Forest National Forest, but the park only preserves about twenty percent of Northeast Arizona’s petrified wood. That’s why it is important that visitors do not take any petrified wood from the park. If you’d like a piece of petrified wood, there are several rock shops in the area that sell the fossils harvested from private land.

Dog Friendly!

You can’t spell Petrified Forest without “pet” – leashed dogs are welcome to go anywhere in the park, except inside buildings. Keep in mind the weather could be very hot during your visit. Don’t leave dogs in hot cars! Our dog, Liberty, loved the views!

Painted Desert

We visited Petrified Forest National Park while on a road trip to Phoenix, Arizona. Our time was limited, but we saw most of the park’s major attractions. After entering the park, we went north to the Painted Desert section. Don’t miss Kachina Point for a great view of the Painted Desert.

We were impressed with the Painted Desert Inn. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the Inn along with several casitas between 1937-1940. It is designed in a modern Pueblo Revival style that fits well in its desert location. Today, the Inn serves as a museum. It houses a beautiful mural by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.

Route 66 Monument

The Park memorializes the days of historic Route 66 with a 1932 Studebaker and telephone lines that mark where the historic highway passed through the park.

The Teepees

The Teepees is one of the most colorful sections of the Park. We enjoyed driving through these beautiful pointy mesas.

Newspaper Rock

Newspaper Rock isn’t just a single rock, but a collection of rocks with over 650 petroglyphs created by the ancient Puebloan people between 650 and 2,000 years ago.

Agate Bridge

One of our favorite stops was Agate Bridge. Agate Bridge is a large petrified log that spans a gully. It was a major attraction advertised by the railroad in the early days of the national monument. Fearing its collapse, the railroad installed a concrete slab below the petrified log in 1911.

Crystal Forest

We loved walking this easy paved trail through the Crystal Forest. The fossilized trees here are really beautiful.

We hope you enjoy your trip to Petrified Forest National Park! Our stop in Petrified Forest was short, so if we missed your favorite part of this park, please let us know what we should see next time we visit!