Petrified Wood

Petrified Wood: Jack and Colton are in Petrified Forest National Park where ancient history is on display everywhere you look. They are hiking to Jasper Forest – the highest concentration of petrified wood in the world. Most fossilized trees and other types of vegetation become petrified wood. This is the result of the organic matter in the tree being replaced with minerals while still retaining the original structure of the wood, a process called permineralization. As we continue our hike, we spot evidence of a creature that lived here 225 million years ago and shards of pottery from an Old Pueblo site.

Petrified wood found in Petrified Forest National Park is made up of almost solid quartz. Each piece is like a giant crystal, often sparkling in the sunlight as if covered by glitter. The rainbow of colors is produced by impurities in the quartz, such as iron, carbon, and manganese. Over 200 million years ago, the logs washed into an ancient river system and were buried quick enough and deep enough by massive amounts of sediment and debris also carried in the water, that oxygen was cut off and decay slowed to a process that would now take centuries: https://bit.ly/2KQ9wUp

NPS (explore the backcountry): https://bit.ly/3aZxZRH

Billings Gap Overlook Hike (pdf 3762 kb)
Blue Forest Hike (pdf 4513 kb)
Dead Wash Overlook Hike (pdf 4318 kb)
First Forest Point Hike (pdf 4699 KB)
Jasper Forest Hike (pdf 4425 kb)

NPS Guided Tours: Ranger Guided Programs are available seasonally and as staffing allows, but our staff is always roving the park. Keep an eye out for roving rangers in popular areas like Puerco Pueblo, Crystal Forest, and Giant Logs for on-the-spot information: https://bit.ly/2yoGLLE

Petrified Forest National Park is located in northern Arizona about 25 miles east of the town of Holbrook and the park entrance is just off of Interstate 40. The Petrified Forest was designated as a National Monument in 1906 and became a National Park in 1962: https://bit.ly/2YyYJWq

Arizona (U.S. National Park Service): https://www.nps.gov/state/az/index.htm

Rock the Park is an Emmy award-winning adventure series seen every Saturday on ABC featuring our national parks and other public lands across America and the world. Now in its 6th season, Jack Steward and Colton Smith go off the beaten path to explore magnificent landscapes, incredible wildlife and all the exciting ways to immerse yourself in and around nature. Whether it’s swimming with sea turtles, climbing to the top of a volcano or repelling into a glacier, Jack and Colton are living life to the fullest and inspiring others to do the same.

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