A sleep deprived journey to Petrified Forest National Park…
We stayed the night at Monument Valley, a sight to be seen, two hundred miles North of Petrified Forest National Park. We had been on the road for nearly a month and had driven over seven thousands miles. By this point waking up early and driving stupid distances was a part of the routine
Waking up and ONLY having to drive a few hours actually seemed like a treat at the time. Much better than a twelve hour drive. However, I didn’t get ANY sleep at Monument Valley.
Jess insisted we stay the night in a Tipi, not a wise choice during a massive dust storm. I laid there all night watching the poles violently shake around, expecting for the whole thing to come crashing down at any moment. I should have questioned why they left disposable ear plugs on the night stand, to which I found little success using.
Tension rising…
No sleep, combined with the fact that tension had been rising between us after being crammed in a compact car for so long. It is safe to say I wasn’t the most enjoyable person to be around on the short drive to Petrified Forest National Park. A park that I actually didn’t expect much from and hardly known existed a few days prior.
Didn’t expect much from this lesser known Arizona Landscape.
Located on the eastern side of Arizona, not too far from the New Mexico border near Albuquerque. The park saw roughly 650,000 visitors in 2018, a fraction of the visitors some parks see. For comparison, Grand Canyon National Park, saw over 6.5 million visitors in 2018!
Don’t let the numbers fool you though! Petrified Forest National Park truly is a sight to be seen and should definitely be on your travel “must see” list.
Known for its prehistoric petrified forest, fossilized remains and petroglyphs, dating back 8,000 years!
The park is 230 square miles and conveniently has a road running right though the middle of it. Making it an easy park to visit if you are ever in the Phoenix or Albuquerque area.
I found the landscape to be far more interesting and visually appealing than I had expected. The badlands looked just as martian as the badlands of Death Valley National Park. Maybe even more so due to the complete lack of other people.
It was like we had the park to ourselves, we saw less than five cars all day!
My groggy mood quickly faded away as we slowly made our way through the desert landscape
I unsuccessfully tried imaging what this place would have looked like 2.5 million years ago when it was still flourishing forest. It was strangely humbling to touch something so old, despite it being in a much different form than we imagine a living tree. It brought back recent memories of Redwood National Park, an experience everyone needs to have once.
Call me crazy, but…
To me it is pretty clear that this desert landscape was at one time a thriving forest. Therefore establishing that the Earths climate has been drastically changing for millions of years.
Long before humans ever began leaving our mark.
What a surprise!
My exceptions of Petrified Forest National Park had already been exceeded and the biggest surprise was still to come. As you make your way south on the only road the park has to offer, you will eventually come to a parking lot on a ridge, much bigger than any of the other lookout points. Stop there! Make your way up the short path to see the famous “Newspaper Rock”.
At first I was drawn to the distant desert landscape but eventually I looked down at the rock formations right in front of us and realized I was looking at ancient petroglyphs, left by Native American tribes over 8,000 years ago.
Sure, the petroglyphs didn’t have anything on the petrified tree stumps when compared by age. However, seeing the work of humans who lived 8,000 years was incredibly moving. Humans that were no different than me or you. Except in the fact that they struggled and persevered through much more difficult times than we as modern humans ever will.
Newspaper Rock, zoom in to the dark brown section to see the petroglyphs.
They left a mark. That’s for sure!
Sure, the petroglyphs didn’t have anything on the petrified tree stumps when compared by age. However, seeing the work of humans who lived 8,000 years was incredibly moving. Humans that were no different than me or you. Except that they struggled and persevered through much more difficult times than modern humans ever will.
As far as they knew, they were simply leaving behind knowledge for future generations. I bet they wouldn’t have guessed 8000 years later there would be entrance fees and locals making a living on their land by selling petrified bits and pieces of trees to tourist. Trees that once stood towering above the rock formations where they etched their story in stone!
Considering the day began with a sleep deprived night in a Tipi, it seemed fitting to end it with the a picture of one of the “Tepees” on the south side of the park.
For those of you considering visiting Petrified Forest National Park.. DO IT! I promise you won’t regret it. I can’t personally attest to any hiking or the campgrounds but they do have more going on than you would think for a park that doesn’t see the masses of people. Don’t expect to see as many activities as somewhere like Yellowstone but some people may even find that as a bonus!
Visit the park website here for monthly events and visitor information. If you’re planning a road trip be sure to check out our National Parks page for more information.
What park is at the top of your list to visit? Comment below!
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