Feature Article

Estimated to be eight million years old, these stately petrifed rees once stood some 200 feet tall in a lush, tropical forest that's now northeastern Arizona.

Turned to Stone: Petrified Forest National Park

story and photo by Amy Roffmann New

If you arrive at the Petrified Forest National Park and find yourself wondering, "Forest? Where are the trees?" you won't be the first one. Some people may be a little disappointed when they visit this park, hoping to see tall trees made of stone.

I've made three trips to the Petrified Forest National Park. The first two were "bypass" visits, since the 28-mile road is a detour side trip that allows you to bypass the highway between exits 311 and 340 on Interstate 40, near Holbrook, Ariz. Park Ranger Michael Steuckey tells me it's typical: most visitors spend just a few hours in the park. The third trip, I lingered for nearly two days and can now say there is much more to this desert monument than meets first glance.

The Petrified Forest was discovered several thousand years ago by ancestors of today's Native Americans. Ancient Paiute Indians of Utah thought the petrified logs were the arrow shafts of their thunder god. Early Navajos believed the logs were the bones of a giant monster killed when their ancestors arrived in the Southwest.

The big attraction is the wood. Petrified wood isn't particularly rare; you can find it in nearly every state in the United States. (If you want to see some examples, the Rainbow Forest Visitor Center has a great display.) However, Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park represents the largest accumulation of the colorful rock-like trees, which are estimated to be eight million years old.

Science doesn't exactly know how wood turns to stone, but here's a best guess: at one time, this part of northern Arizona was at roughly the same latitude as present-day Panama and held a lush forest. Some trees—as tall as 200 feet—fell naturally, and made their way to muddy river bottoms where they were covered by silt. Others were uprooted by volcanic flows and buried by lava and debris.

Over time, silica-rich groundwater saturated every cell of the buried trees. As time passed, the silica crystallized, preserving the patterns and character of the wood virtually forever. Depending on conditions—time, pressure, silica type and volume—the resulting crystals range from dull browns to vibrant blue, red, green and purple.

Such variety and beauty hardly went unnoticed. In the 1850s visitors hauled away as many specimens as they could carry. When the railroad arrived in 1882, boxcars of petrified wood began leaving the park to be made into mantlepieces, tabletops and trinkets. Even Tiffany's joined in, providing a selection of polished petrified wood to their discriminating customers. In the 1890s, some tourists even used dynamite to extract beautiful and valuable purple amethyst crystals from the logs. The result is a much more barren "forest," since petrified trees don't grow back.

Coming to the rescue was Theodore Roosevelt, who proclaimed the area a national monument in 1906, preserving what was left for future generations. While there were no regular patrols until 1921, today's rangers lock up the gates every night. Staying past closing—as I can say from experience—will bring a ranger who will politely, but firmly, tell you to get back in your vehicle and head for an exit.

Nowadays, collecting specimens is strictly forbidden and subject to a fine. Even so, the Park Service estimates that an incredible 1,000 tons of material is illegally removed from the park every month. Presumably, most of it leaves in small bits, since the big chunks are heavy—about 170 pounds per cubic foot. Some of the contraband eventually finds its way back to the park, though—the Rainbow Forest Museum displays letters from tourists whose guilty conscience led them to mail back small and large chunks of petrified wood.

The first time I came to the Petrified Forest, I was a petulant 15-year-old and barely got out of the car to see a single log. On the second trip, I arrived late in the day, with just enough time to walk the Crystal Forest trail and buy postcards at the Fred Harvey Company gift shop. Now that I've spent more time in the park, I have a few must-see recommendations:

The Visitor Centers
There are two visitor centers: Painted Desert Visitor Center at the east end of the park, and the Rainbow Forest Visitor Center near the west entrance. Both have interesting displays and small shops of books and souvenirs. If you're short on time, choose the Painted Desert Visitor Center to see the wonderful 20-minute video presentation.

The Trails
Nearly every pull-off offers a chance to see some petrified wood, but the two best trails for seeing a variety of colors are the Long Logs and Crystal Forest trails. Neither one is very long—most of the park's trails are one mile or less—but flatlanders should be aware of the park's "breath-taking" 5,600-foot elevation.

Agate House
If you want to see a building made of petrified wood, head to Agate House, not far from the western entrance. This building was constructed of petrified wood sometime between A.D. 1050 and 1300. It has been reconstructed a number of times, but always with an eye toward preserving the petrified wood walls and showing the great variety of jewel-like crystals.

Puerco Pueblo
The still-visible low walls of the Puerco Pueblo represent a thriving agricultural community that lived in the Petrified Forest from roughly the 1100s to the 1300s. The Pueblo was a stone structure of 76 rooms arranged into apartments to house 60 to 70 people. Interestingly, the excavation of Puerco Pueblo was begun by noted conservationist John Muir in 1905 and 1906. He had come to Arizona to mourn the death of his wife Louise, and to seek the desert air for his ailing daughter. Muir embarked on the excavation to occupy his time during his long walks in the desert. He was one of several who lobbied Roosevelt to name the Petrified Forest site one of the nation's first four national monuments.

Petroglyphs The best collection of petroglyphs in the park is at Newspaper Rock, but sadly the trail was closed by a rockslide last year. Puerco Pueblo has another great collection, including one solar calendar marker. If you happen to be there on the summer solstice, you're in for a treat; the sun shines through boulders to the east of the pueblo, pointing a thin ribbon of light to the middle of a spiral petroglyph placed there nearly a thousand years ago to measure and commemorate the solstice.

Even with the park ranger driving behind me to make sure I left at closing, I wondered if I had seen it all. Suddenly, I saw a shadowy movement at a curve in the road ahead, then the glow of eyes in my headlights. I had already spotted ravens and rabbits and had been watching for the pronghorn deer that are common to the park, but this was a coyote—symbol of the southwestern desert—standing at the side of the road. It was as if he had come to say goodbye...and to remind me that there's always something left to see in Petrified Forest National Park.

Amy Roffmann New is a freelance writer living in Chandler, Ariz.

Planning Your Trip
Hours and admission: The park is open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry fee of $10 per private vehicle; $5 per person arriving by other means.
AAA tip: Westbound motorists on I-40 should use the northern entrance to avoid backtracking.
Accommodations: There are no accommodations in the park. The closest town with motels is Holbrook, just west of the park.
Further information: Ask your AAA Travel professional, 303-753-8800, or visit www.aaa.com. Petrified Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest National Park, Ariz. 86028; 928-524-6228; www.nps.gov/pefo/

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