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P.O. Box 2217
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ 86028
Phone: (928) 524-6228
From Phoenix, you
have several choices. Travel Interstates 17 North and 40 East,
passing through Flagstaff (259 miles) or travel Highway 87 North to
Payson, Highway 260 East to Heber, Highway 377 North to Holbrook,
and Highway 180 South to the park (215 miles).
From Albuquerque,
travel 204 miles west on Interstate 40 to Exit 311.
Petrified Forest
National Park is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating
science. The park features 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.
Petrified Forest
National Park is one of the best examples of the Late Triassic (225
million years ago) in the world. The geologic record contained
within the Chinle Formation is well preserved - an open book of time
for geologists to read. New fossils are found every year.
The park is 93,533
acres, with a recently expanded boundary increasing the acreage to
218,533 acres.
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. A
program schedule is displayed at visitor contact areas.
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. No petrified wood is removed legally from the
park.
Driving non-stop,
through the park, takes 45 minutes. The average length of stay is 2
hours but remaining all day is also common. The park is locked at
night and visitors must be in their cars and driving towards an exit
at closing time.
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© 2006 Alan's Kitchen