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Petrified Forest
| Established: |
1962 (Petrified Forest National Monument established by Presidential Proclamation, December 8, 1906. Petrified Forest National Park established, and national monument concurrently abolished, effective December 9, 1962, pursuant to the Petrified Forest National Park Act (72 Stat. 69), March 28, 1958) |
| Location: |
Eastern Arizona |
| Acres: |
93,533 |
A favorite site for children of all
ages. A visit to the Petrified Forest National Park will
intrigue and excite everyone. Learn about the Ice Ages, prehistoric dinosaurs, and cave men that once inhabited this area.
Discover how wood is turned to stone. The Petrified Forest
National Park has one of the largest collections of stone
logs in the world. Trees that died and sunk in the mud of
ancient rivers about 225 million
years ago. Absorbing the dissolved silica (sand) in the water that
eventually crystallized into quartz
to form the stone logs we see today.
The fossils found amidst the petrified
wood help reconstruct life in a Mesozoic forest of ferns
and cycads. When slithering crocodile-like reptiles
and dinosaurs the size of small office buildings roamed
the swamps.
Near the visitor center at the north end of the park is the Painted Desert. Named for its hues of red, orange, and pink sand that rise from the ground. Colors formed from iron oxides that concentrate in the sediment.
There are no campgrounds in the park
and camping is limited to the backcountry which is free with
a permit obtained at the visitor center. Some additional photos
of the Petrified Forest can be viewed at the
J. Donohue and
Petrified Forest
National Park, PO Box 2217, AZ 86028 (520) 524-6228 www.nps.gov/pefo sites.
AZ,
Petrified Forest National Park
All text and photos copyright ©1994-2002 Charles A. Read and ScenicUS.
Comments or Suggestions, Contact the Author Charles A. Read.
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