Petrified Forest
NATIONAL PARK
By DIENEKE
Petrified Forest National Park was our first stop after deboarding Amtrak’s Southwest Chief. We’d never spent much time in Arizona, so we were going to visit all (3) of the state’s National Parks: Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon (of which we’d already visited the North Rim) and Saguaro.
Petrified Forest, yes, has some petrified logs, but it offers so much more! (and quite frankly, the petrified part was my least favorite). There are fossils, badlands, buttes & mesas, ancient petroglyphs & pueblos. The half-day drive through the park brought one surprise after another.
We entered at the north entrance and first took a self-guided architectural tour of the Painted Desert Community Complex: a series of buildings designed by famed modernist architect, Richard Neutra, in the “International Style”. It has been deemed a “National Treasure” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and it’s the least we can do to support this place and preserve it for generations to come. I know I normally say this about the natural landscape but it applies here too! and will for more sites below…keep scrolling!
After nerding out on architecture, it was time to see nature…and more architecture?!
We are on the Colorado Plateau, home to super stars such as the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce and Arches, so perhaps it should not have been a surprise to be transported to another world in the Painted Desert section. This area is composed of stratified layers of siltstone, mudstone and shale that contain abundant iron and manganese compounds which provide the pigments for the vibrant colors of the sloped hills. We stopped at all (3) overlooks to take in the views.
And just a short drive further brought us to another National Historic Landmark: Painted Desert Inn. While no longer accepting reservations, this historic inn has been adapted into a museum that has preserved the original architecture and added unique exhibits that will enrich your experience of the park.
Following the park road over I-40, we came upon some ancient architecture at Puerco Pueblo where we took the short loop to walk among the partially excavated 100+ room village, occupied 1250-1380 AD. I was particularly taken by the “Meaning of Place” reader-board that reminded me of the many meanings this site has had for archeologists, artists and even us visitors but the most important being “home” by the original inhabitants. Another important culture site that should not be missed is Newspaper Rock, which boasts some of the best petroglyphs we have ever seen. 650 of them, some as old as 2,000 years!
The “strenuous” hike we took was Blue Mesa which is a 1 mile loop through the heart of the Petrified Forest badlands. The path in/out is steep but the walk below is well graded. It’s an immersive experience through the bluish bentonite clay and we caught our first glimpses of petrified wood!
By afternoon we had made it to the Rainbow Forest Visitor Center and the namesake of the Petrified Forest. Here you can learn that the petrified wood has been preserved from decomposition by rapid entombment in mud which them mineralizes it into stone! From the visitor center, we took the Long Logs Access Trail to the Agate House Trail for a 5 mi total hike. They are both fairly flat but completely exposed so be sure to bring a hat and sunglasses! Long Logs is the largest concentration of petrified wood in the park and Agate House is an 8-room pueblo constructed with petrified wood over 700 years ago. If neither of these trails are of interest to you, definitely take the short .4 mi loop Giant Logs Trail (pick up the interpretive map at the Visitor Center) which will also get you up close and personal to these alien objects.
I am always delighted to be surprised by a National Park where my expectations are far exceeded by the diversity and beauty abound. But there are many more surprises to come on this short jaunt through Arizona…
