Petrified Forest National Park

ARIZONA LEGENDS

Petrified Forest National Park

Located in northeastern Arizona, the Petrified Forest National Park is between Holbrook and Navajo along I-40. The park is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science featuring one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, the multi-hued badlands of the Chinle Formation known as the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of 225 million year old fossils.

The park consists of two large areas connected by a north-south corridor. The northern area encompasses part of the multihued badlands known as the Painted Desert. The southern area includes colorful terrain as well as several concentrations of petrified wood. Several American Indian petroglyph sites are also found in the southern area.

Petrified Forest courtesy National Park Service.

The Petrified Forest area was designated a National Monument on December 8, 1906. The Painted Desert was added later, and on December 9, 1962, the whole monument received National Park status. Today, the park covers 93,532.57 acres.

Landmarks include the Agate House Pueblo, built of petrified wood; the Agate Bridge, a petrified log spanning a wash, and the Painted Desert Inn, designated on the National Register of Historic places.

The Agate House is a partial reconstruction of an Indian pueblo built around 1100 A.D. Its walls were built of petrified wood and sealed with mud mortar. sitting atop a knoll overlooking the vast expanse of desert, the eight room pueblo is though to have been occupied for a brief time due to the small amount of cultural debris found in the area. Reconstruction of its rooms occurred after archaeological excavation in 1934.

The Agate Bridge is a natural formation created by centuries of scouring flood waters that washed out the arroyo beneath this 110-foot petrified log. The stone log, harder than the sandstone around it, resisted erosion and remained suspended as the softer rock beneath it washed away. Enthusiastic visitors fascinated by Agate Bridge worked to preserve it through the establishment of Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906. Conservationists felt this ages-old natural bridge needed architectural support and in 1911 erected masonry pillars beneath the log. In 1917 the present concrete span replace the masonry work.

The Painted Desert Inn was built in 1924 on a high perch overlooking the Painted Desert by a man named Herbert Lore in 1924. The two-story inn, nicknamed named the Stone Tree House, due to the petrified wood used in its construction, was operated as an inn and tourist attraction for almost twelve years. Meals were served in the lunchroom, Native American arts and crafts could be purchased in the curio shops, and a cool drink could be enjoyed in the downstairs taproom. Rooms were available for $2 to $4 a night. Lore also gave 2-hour motor car tours through the Black Forest in the Painted Desert below.

This isolated oasis in the Painted Desert was purchased by the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1936 and began updating its electrical, plumbing, and heating systems. Guest rooms, a new entryway, a dining room and a shaded porch were added to the original structure, as well as stained glass ceiling panels, hammered tin chandeliers, and hand-carved furniture.

During the Dust Bowl days, thousands of heartland residents fled west on Route 66 in search of a better life. Hollywood documented the era in The Grapes Wrath, which included scenes at the Painted Desert Inn.

During World War II, the Inn was closed, but reopened after the war was over. Shortly thereafter, the Fred Harvey Company took over the management in 1947. In no time, the legendary Harvey Girls complimented the Inn with their excellent service in the spotless dining room.

A year later, the company’s architect and interior designer, Mary Colter, oversaw the remodeling of the dining rooms, hiring Fred Kabotie to paint murals in two rooms that would reflect his Hopi heritage. In the same year, the Painted Desert Inn became the park's northern headquarters.

Petrified Wood and Agate Bridge (above) by

Jon Sullivan, February, 2004.

Following the war, Route 66 became busier than ever as people began to experience "vacations." For many, the Mother Road included a stop at the Petrified Forest, and a bite to eat or curio shopping at the Painted Desert Inn.

Unfortunately, after I-40 replaced Route 66, a new Painted Desert Headquarters was opened and the Painted Desert Inn was closed. Already suffering from foundation problems, the building sat abandoned for the next 27 years. Only open for periodic events, deterioration continued to occur and the building was nearly demolished in 1965 and again in 1975. However, in 1975, the Painted Desert Inn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1987, it became a National Historic Landmark. The building was restored and is now open as a museum.

The petrified wood of the Petrified Forest is the "State Fossil" of Arizona. The pieces of permineralized wood are from a family of trees that is extinct in the Northern Hemisphere today, surviving only in isolated stands in the Southern Hemisphere. During the Late Triassic period, this desert region was located in the tropics and was seasonally wet and dry. In seasonal flooding, the trees washed from where they grew and accumulated in sandy river channels, where they were buried periodically by layers of gravelly sand, rich in volcanic ash from volcanoes further to the west. The volcanic ash was the source of the silica that helped to permineralize the buried logs, replacing wood with silica, colored with oxides of iron and manganese.

Theft of petrified wood has remained a problem despite protection and despite the fact that nearby vendors sell wood collected legally from private land. Despite a guard force of seven National Park Service rangers, and fences, warning signs and the threat of a $275 fine, about 12 to 14 tons of the fossil wood disappears from the Petrified Forest every year.

Much of the striking banded coloration of the Chinle Formation badlands that make up the Painted Desert region is due to soil formation during the Late Triassic period. The soil suggests that the climate was once dramatically seasonal, with distinct very wet and very dry seasons. This climate was probably similar to the modern monsoon of the Indian Ocean region.

Hiking opportunities are limited. The longest established trail in the park extends for only two miles; the others are one mile or less. Backcountry camping and hiking are allowed by permit only.

The Painted Desert, January, 2003

This image available for photographic prints HERE.

Park activities include the park film, museums, sightseeing, photography, walking, hiking and wilderness backpacking. A variety of ranger programs are given year round with an increased number during the summer.

Note: The removal of petrified wood or other features of the park is prohibited by law. Gift shops sell petrified wood that comes from private land, outside the park.

Contact Information:

Petrified Forest National Park

1 Park Road
Petrified Forest, Arizona 86028
928-524-6228

To Holbrook

Return to Route 66

To the Painted Desert

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Route 66 Books - Legends of America and the Rocky Mountain General Store has collected a number of Route 66 Books for our Mother Road enthusiasts. As great as Route 66 is, if you aren't armed with a few good tools on your journey, you'll miss great attractions, eateries, places to stay, and wind up on the wrong path. To see this varied collection that includes "how-to" books, travel guides, photograph books, attractions, and more, click HERE!