*as seen in North Canton Living Magazine
Petrified Forest/Painted Desert National Park
I sat on the stone wall with my feet dangling over a long drop. Spread out before me were the dazzling reds, pinks and purples of the painted desert. The colors swirled and swooped in graceful arcs across the desert hills. Behind the glowing hills, 120 miles away, rose dark jagged peaks topped by the piercing blue sky. I was alone. For twenty minutes I munched on my lunch admiring the painted desert.
The morning began in the southern part of the park - the petrified forest. Millions of years ago this part of the world was at the equator. Long before the continents shifted - when our part of the world was called Pangea. Those trees fell and were encased to eventually turn to stone. Today those trees lay where they fell and it is truly a forest of petrified wood. Massive boulders that look like trees and feel like stone. I hiked an easily accessible trail that morning in a place called Crystal Forest. Every tree also contained bits of crystal so they glittered in the sun.
The park is also known for its fossils. So many fossils. My head spun as I tried to understand the millions of years that have passed.
The day ended at a section of Route 66 with an abandoned car left to rust by the road. A section of the famous route that I am sure was difficult to cross. I stood there staring at the march of telephone poles along what is today I-40.
What I Learned
I visited here as a child and again with my own children. It is truly a magical national park.
Phytosaurs are the most common vertebrae fossil found in the park. It resembles a modern crocodile and averaged over seventeen feet long. There is a fossil cast in the museum that is terrifying.
Newspaper rock is a petroglyph site with hundreds of images. A petroglyph is an image created by chipping through the rocks natural black patina. The exact meaning of the images is unknown.
Winslow, Arizona made famous for taking it easy is only a short hour away with a famous mural portraying the truck from the Eagles Song.
When You Go
Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park is a day park. There is only backpacking and hiking and those require a permit. I camped at Homolovi State Park in Winslow Arizona only an hour away on the highway.
Be sure to take a break when in the Petrified Desert and visit the Painted Desert Inn. Built by the CCC, the Inn has taken on many forms over the years. The Fred Harvey Company reopened it in the 1940s and made the area famous by recruiting “Harvey Girls” to help. Their contract stated they could not marry and must abide by all rules. The Inn is open to the public today giving a glimpse of life in its heyday.
This park is perfect for a stop off the highway and gives the kids a chance to roam. The temperatures can soar from spring to fall so bring plenty of water. Sunscreen and hats are recommended all year. Please stay on the trails to avoid any wildlife that is sleeping on the rocks.
There is a $325 fine for removing any of the petrified wood. When exiting your vehicle may be inspected. Please plan accordingly.
Winslow Arizona is a small town nearby with some hotel accommodations. Sedona is only two hours away and a lovely area to visit making this a perfect one day trip. The park is also a perfect stop if you are on your way to the Grand Canyon National Park which lies slightly north west although roughly three to four hours away. Flagstaff is only three hours west with the closest medical facilities and all the hotels and restaurants.