Petrified Forrest NP
- Katelynn Adams
- Oct 1, 2023
- 2 min read
To continue my quest to visit all the National Parks in the US - I found myself planning a trip out to Petrified Forrest NP while I was living out in Phoenix. While this was not one I was particularly excited about (despite it being high on one of my best friends' list) - I ended up being incredibly surprised with it. A trend I have found with quiet a few National Parks and Monumnets now.
Phase 1: The Painted Desert
Now this park had such a variety of different landscapes and they came and went in phases. The beginning of the drive started with vast views of rolling hills of red dirt and sparse vegetation. There were many sceinic overlooks and photo opportunities to aid visitors in seeing all The Painted Desert had to offer.. See the gallery below for a few of my favorite spots. Even the views from the middle of the roads managed to capture and hold my lense!
There were many additional stops along the park road and of course I stopped at as many as I had time for. First there was Newspaper Rock (a landmark containing over 650 petroglyphs), an old 1932 Studebaker donated to the park, and an intersection with the crossing of the famous Route 66. Petrified Forrest is actually the only National Park that contains a section of the old highway.
Phase 2 : The Blue Mesa
The second portion of this park was unfortunately the smallest and my favorite. There were large massive chunks of petrified wood with a backdrop equally as stunning. You could hike down into this large dry valley and hike it between the peaks and marvel at the numerous shades of purple that could be found in the stone. Piles of wood gathered where you can tell water once flowed and created lined pathways in the landscape itself. It was quite a wild site to behold. It felt other worldly.
Phase 3: The Rainbow Forrest
The last phase of this park actually contained the most pieces of petrified wood. This portion of the park was said to have once been a large swamp like Forrest with large aquantic and land dwelling creatures. The Visitor Center at the far end of the park was full of skeletons and historical information about the park lands and what it used to look like.
Gallery:
Additional photos from my trip :)
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