Petrified Forest National Park facts for kids

Petrified Forest National Park is a special place in northeastern Arizona, USA. It's famous for its huge amounts of petrified wood, which are ancient trees that have turned into stone over millions of years! The park covers about 346 square miles (896 square kilometers) and features beautiful, colorful badlands and a dry, shrubby landscape. You can find the park's main office about 26 miles (42 kilometers) east of Holbrook, right along Interstate 40. This highway, along with the BNSF Railway, the Puerco River, and the historic U.S. Route 66, all cross the park from east to west. Part of the park also stretches into the stunning Painted Desert. This amazing area became a national monument in 1906 and then a full national park in 1962. In 2018, over 644,000 people visited this unique park.

The park sits high up, about 5,400 feet (1,600 meters) above sea level. It has a dry and windy climate, with summer temperatures sometimes reaching 100°F (38°C) and winter temperatures often falling below freezing. Over 400 types of plants grow here, mostly grasses like bunchgrass and blue grama. You can also spot many animals, from larger ones like pronghorns, coyotes, and bobcats, to smaller creatures like deer mice, snakes, lizards, and seven kinds of amphibians. More than 200 types of birds live in or visit the park, some staying all year and many others migrating through. A large part of the park, about 50,260 acres (203 square kilometers), is a special wilderness area where nature is left untouched.

This park is super famous for its fossils! You can see ancient trees that fell about 225 million years ago, during the Late Triassic period. This was during the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth! These fossilized logs are found in colorful rock layers called the Chinle Formation, which also gives the Painted Desert its name. Millions of years ago, the land here, part of the Colorado Plateau, slowly pushed upwards. This caused wind and water to wear away many layers of rock, revealing the amazing fossils we see today. Besides petrified trees, scientists have found fossils of ancient ferns, cycads, ginkgoes, and even giant reptiles called phytosaurs, large amphibians, and early dinosaurs! Paleontologists (scientists who study fossils) have been exploring and learning from the park's fossils for over a hundred years.

Exploring the Park's Landscape

The Petrified Forest National Park is located in northeastern Arizona, right on the border between Apache and Navajo counties. It stretches about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from north to south. The park's width changes, being widest in the north (about 12 miles or 19 kilometers) and narrower in the middle.

A major highway, I-40, cuts through the park from east to west. This route follows the historic U.S. Route 66 and the BNSF Railway tracks. The Puerco River also flows through this area. The closest city is Holbrook, about 26 miles (42 kilometers) west of the park's main office. A road called Park Road goes through the park from north to south, connecting I-40 to U.S. Route 180.

The park is surrounded by land belonging to the Navajo Nation, state lands, and private ranches. The elevation in the park ranges from about 5,340 feet (1,628 meters) near the Puerco River to 6,230 feet (1,900 meters) at Pilot Rock. On average, it's about 5,400 feet (1,646 meters) high. The southern part of the park has rolling hills and large areas of petrified wood. The northern part features dramatic, eroded landscapes known as badlands. Many small streams, like Lithodendron Wash, flow into the Puerco River. Other streams in the south flow into the Little Colorado River.

How the Petrified Forest Formed

Ancient Trees and the Chinle Formation

The Tepees in Petrified Forest National Park are colorful hills made from the ancient Chinle Formation rocks.

Petrified Forest National Park is famous for its amazing fossils, especially the ancient trees that lived about 225 to 207 million years ago. This was during the Late Triassic period of the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth! Back then, this area was close to the equator and had a warm, wet, subtropical climate. It was a low plain with mountains nearby and a sea to the west.

Rivers flowed across this plain, carrying mud, sand, and fallen trees. When trees fell into the water, they were quickly buried by sediment and volcanic ash. This quick burial protected them from decaying or being eaten. Over millions of years, groundwater seeped into the logs. This water contained silica, a mineral from the volcanic ash. The silica slowly replaced the wood, crystal by crystal, turning the trees into stone. This process is called petrifaction. Traces of iron and other minerals mixed with the silica, creating the beautiful colors you see in the petrified wood today.

The colorful rock layers that hold these fossilized logs are called the Chinle Formation. This formation is up to 800 feet (240 meters) thick in the park. It's made of different kinds of sedimentary rocks, like soft mudstone and harder sandstone. When wind and water erode these rocks, they create the unique badlands landscape with cliffs, gullies, and hills. The Chinle Formation is also why the Painted Desert has its name!

Earth's Changing Surface and Other Fossils

The colorful badlands of the Painted Desert, seen from Tawa Point.

About 60 million years ago, huge forces deep inside the Earth began to push up the Colorado Plateau, where the park is located. This slow uplift caused a lot of erosion. Wind and water wore away many layers of rock that were once above the Chinle Formation.

Besides petrified trees, the park is a treasure chest of other fossils. Scientists have found over 200 types of ancient plants, including ferns, cycads, and ginkgoes. It's also one of the best places to find vertebrate (animals with backbones) fossils from the Late Triassic period. These include early dinosaurs, crocodile-like reptiles, large amphibians, and even ancient snails and clams.

A petrified tree, broken into segments, shows its stone-like texture.

A petrified log in the Petrified Forest, showing its unique colors.

Most of the petrified logs in the park kept their original shape, but their insides turned to stone. However, some logs and animal bones are so well preserved that you can still see their original cell structures under a microscope! This helps scientists learn a lot about these ancient organisms.

Park Climate

The Petrified Forest National Park has a dry and windy climate. Temperatures can swing from very hot in summer, sometimes reaching 100°F (38°C), to below freezing in winter. Strong winds are common, especially in winter, and can create dust devils and sandstorms in the summer.

Most of the park's rain falls between July and September, with August being the wettest month. Because the park is high up (over 5,000 feet or 1,500 meters), it can get light snow from October to March, but the snow usually doesn't stay long. The air is generally very dry.

A Look Back in Time: History of the Park

Ancient People and Petroglyphs

Ruins at Puerco Pueblo in 2010

Ancient bowls found near the park.

Over 1,200 ancient sites have been found in Petrified Forest National Park! The first people arrived here more than 12,000 years ago. These early people, called Paleoindians, used spear points made from petrified wood to hunt. Later, nomadic groups set up seasonal camps, hunting animals like rabbits and deer, and gathering wild plant seeds.

Around 1,000 BCE, Ancestral Pueblo farmers began growing corn. Their population grew, and families started living in pit houses, which were homes built partly underground. By 700 CE, they formed larger villages with many families living together. They built warm pit structures for winter and above-ground rooms for storage and daily activities.

Later, around 900 CE, these farmers started building homes entirely above ground using stone, like the famous Agate House, which is made of petrified wood and is open to visitors. By 1250 CE, many families lived in large apartment-like buildings called pueblos, sometimes with hundreds of people. Two large pueblos, Stone Axe and Puerco Pueblo, were located near the park. Puerco Pueblo had about 200 rooms around a central plaza.

Ancient petroglyphs carved into rock surfaces in the park.

Eventually, these Ancestral Pueblo families moved to join growing communities in other areas, like the Hopi Mesas and the Pueblo of Zuni. Their descendants still live there today. Scientists believe a long dry climate might have caused them to move. The last residents left Puerco Pueblo around 1380 CE.

You can still see amazing petroglyphs (images carved into rock) at Puerco Pueblo and other sites in the park. These ancient drawings are thought to be between 650 and 2,000 years old.

Explorers and the Park's Creation

In the 16th to 18th centuries, Spanish explorers passed through this area, calling it El Desierto Pintado, or the Painted Desert. Later, in the mid-19th century, American explorers surveyed routes through the area. In 1853, Lieutenant Amiel Whipple was so impressed by the petrified wood that he named a stream Lithodendron Creek, meaning "Stone Tree Creek."

As railroads and roads like U.S. Route 66 were built, more people visited the area. This led to tourism, but also to many fossils being taken from the land. People became worried about losing these natural treasures.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt used the Antiquities Act to protect the area, making it the Petrified Forest National Monument. Over the years, more land was added, especially in the Painted Desert section. Finally, in 1962, it became a full national park. In 2004, a bill was signed to allow for the park's expansion.

Even today, protecting the petrified wood is important. Park rangers work hard to prevent theft. Sometimes, visitors who feel bad about taking a piece of wood will return it to "The Conscience Pile" at the park, though these pieces cannot be put back into the park because their original location is unknown.

Scientists have been studying the park's history for a long time. Archeologists like John Muir and Walter Hough conducted early excavations at Puerco Ruin. Paleontologists have also made many discoveries, with researchers like Charles Camp and Edwin Colbert unearthing important fossils. Research in both archeology and paleontology continues in the park today.

Wildlife and Plants

Amazing Plants and Their Life Cycle

At Tiponi Point, lush plants grow on the Painted Desert rim, overlooking the dry badlands.

The Petrified Forest National Park is home to 447 different kinds of plants! Even though it's known for its fossils and eroded badlands, most of the park is a semi-desert grassland. Because it has been protected for many years, it has some of the best grasslands in northeastern Arizona. Along the rim of the Painted Desert, where the soil is richer, you'll find lots of shrubs, small trees, grasses, and herbs.

Over 100 types of grasses grow here, many of them native to the area. Among the grasses, you'll see beautiful flowering plants like evening primrose, mariposa lily, and blue flax. Shrubs like sagebrush and saltbush are also common. Unfortunately, some invasive plants, like lovegrass, are also present and can crowd out the native species.

Along the park's washes (dry streambeds), you'll find larger plants like willows and cottonwoods. These areas are called riparian zones. However, an invasive plant called tamarisk, or saltcedar, is a problem here. It uses up a lot of water and makes the soil salty, harming native plants.

Fascinating Animals and Their Life Cycle

Coyotes are clever animals that eat many different things, including rodents.

The park's grasslands are home to many animals. You might spot pronghorns, which are the fastest land animals in North America! Black-tailed jackrabbits (hares) are also super fast and use their long ears to cool down. Gunnison's prairie dogs live in large colonies, providing food and shelter for other animals. Coyotes are common and eat rodents, fruits, insects, and small birds.

Bobcats and bullsnakes hunt smaller animals like deer mice and squirrels. Bats, like the Western pipistrelle, fly around at night, eating insects. On the Painted Desert rim, you might even see mule deer.

More than 16 types of lizards and snakes live in the park. They help control insect populations. The collared lizard is the largest and most often seen. Gopher snakes are common and sometimes pretend to be rattlesnakes when they feel threatened. The Prairie rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in the park, usually found in grasslands.

The collared lizard is the largest lizard you might see in the park.

Seven kinds of amphibians live here, absorbing water through their skin. Tiger salamanders are the only salamander species in Arizona. Woodhouse's toads and Great Plains toads are also found in the park, especially during the rainy season.

Over 216 species of birds have been seen in the park! Some, like western meadowlarks, live here all year, while many others are migratory. You can see raptors (like the large golden eagle), songbirds, and ground birds in the grasslands. The Puerco River area is great for spotting warblers, vireos, and avocets. Even tiny Anna's hummingbirds, which can fly backward, live here!

Fun Things to Do at the Park

Map of the Petrified Forest National Park.

The park is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Its hours change with the seasons, so it's a good idea to check before you go! The park always uses Mountain Standard Time, as Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time.

The Painted Desert Visitor Center is near the north entrance. It has information, a 20-minute movie about the park, a bookstore, exhibits, a restaurant, and a gift shop. The Rainbow Forest Museum is near the south entrance and also offers information, fossil exhibits, and a virtual tour. The historic Painted Desert Inn is another great spot with a museum and bookstore.

You can explore the park by car, motorcycle, or bicycle. There are no campgrounds or places to stay overnight in the park itself, but nearby towns like Holbrook have hotels. If you want to go backpacking in the wilderness areas, you'll need a free permit.

The park has seven easy hiking trails, some of which are paved. They range from short walks to almost 3 miles (5 kilometers) long. Pets are welcome on these trails if they are on a leash. Some popular trails include Blue Mesa, Crystal Forest, and Agate House. There are also nine "Off the Beaten Path" routes for more adventurous day hikes.

Park rangers offer many fun programs, like tours of the Painted Desert Inn and talks about the Triassic period. They also lead guided walks along trails like Giant Logs and Puerco Pueblo. The park hosts special events for Earth Science Week and National American Indian Heritage Month. Sometimes, artists even work in the park during the summer!

Images for kids

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  Aerial view looking south from the Navajo Reservation across the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest National Park, and Adamana, Arizona.

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  The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park, seen from a commercial flight in 2007.

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  The Painted Desert and petrified logs seen from Blue Mesa.

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  Agate Bridge, a fossilized tree that spans a small ravine.

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  Reconstructed skeletons of Triassic animals found at Petrified Forest.

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  Lithodendron Wash in the designated wilderness in the north part of the park.

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  An exhibit commemorating U.S. Route 66, a historic highway that passed through the park.

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  A closeup of a specimen of petrified wood from The Conscience Pile, returned by visitors.

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  Western meadowlarks, known for their beautiful song, are often seen in the park.

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  Panorama of shortgrass prairie near Dry Wash in the southern section of the park.

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional del Bosque Petrificado para niños

• Ancestral Puebloans
• Forty Houses, Chihuahua
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
• Hohokam
• Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
• Kinishba Ruins
• List of national parks of the United States
• List of areas in the United States National Park System
• Mogollon culture
• Paquimé, Chihuahua
• Southwestern archaeology