PETRIFIED FOREST AND PAINTED DESERT

On Friday, July 2nd I made the trip to the Petrified Forest and Painted Deseret. I had tried to get there earlier but the fires around Flagstaff caused a problem. I wasn’t sure what to expect and, in fact, had decided that I would probably be slightly disappointed after seeing the Grand Canyon. How wrong I was.

It took 90 minutes to get to the start of the Petrified Forest and the drive through the National Park and then on through the Painted Desert took a couple of hours. It would have been quicker but I stopped at every vantage point and take more pictures. The ones I have attached to this blog are just a sample of the amazing area. It is a must see if you are in Northern Arizona.

The Petrified Forest was once a vast floodplain crossed by many streams. Conifer trees grew along the banks of the streams. Reptiles, amphibians and small dinosaurs lived here. The trees fell and swollen streams washed them into adjacent floodplains. A mix of silt, mud and volcanic ash buried the logs. This sediment cut off oxygen and slowed the logs’ decay. Silica-laden groundwater seeped through the logs and replaced the originals wood tissues with silica deposits. Eventually the silica crystallized into quartz and the logs were preserved as petrified wood. (I am not really this smart – the National Forest Bureau gives out brochures at each National Park).

It is against the law to remove ANYTHING from the park and when they give you the brochures about the area it includes a form to fill out if you see anyone removing any objects. You can buy items at the various shops but their items have been collected from private lands outside the park.

I crossed over the state highway and into the Painted Desert. People had told me that the best time to see this area was at sunrise or sunset – neither viable since it was a little too far – but I was amazed none the less. The pictures I took do not do it justice as it is quite an amazing site. The Tepees area is layered with blues, purples and grays created by iron, carbon, manganese and other minerals standing in cone-shaped formations. In other parts you can see hundreds of petroglyphs etched into stone.

A wonderful area and well worth the drive.