A Lot of WOW! for $10.00
Written: Jan 04 '04
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Pros: Nothing like it anywhere else on earth.
Cons: None...might be boring for some.
The Bottom Line: The Petrified Forest National Monument is a must see American Treasure. It is reasonably priced and well worth the time and money to enter and drive or walk around.
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| marilynn..'s Full Review: Petrified Forest National Park |
The Petrified Forest National Monument and the Painted Desert are a connected National Park located just east of Holbrook, Arizona. I visited Dec. 30, 2003 with my daughter. We had easy access from I-40.
The first surprise was the gate keeper asking if we had any rocks in the car. I had to collect all of our collected rocks and allow the gate keeper to put them in a baggie with a red sticky tape on it. She advised me that any rock collected from the park would cause a minimum $275.00 fine. Yikes!!!
We were given a map of the drive through the combined park areas. Rose (my 8 year old) navigated and I drove. The first thing she noticed was that the map was designed to be used from the other entrance of the park. (upside down) Once that was accounted for, our trip through the park was interesting.
The views of the Painted Desert were more interesting and exciting than what we saw in the Grand Canyon. I also appreciated the efforts that the park service has gone to in explaining the colors of the rocks in the region. At each pull out, there is a color photo of the view with explanations and arrows pointing out specific rock features.
We explored the restored Painted Desert Inn at length and asked many questions of the Park Ranger there. The Painted Desert Inn was built in the late 1920's and was restored to a Pueblo Revival style during the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Painted Desert In contains many of the furnishings that were in it during it's time of use as a hotel facility.
The park ranger was most helpful in answering Rose's questions and did not treat her like a "little kid" but more like a regular person with whom he was conversing. He complimented us on our road trip together and suggested specific trails that would be within our time frame and walking ability.
The points along the road included Tawa Point, Kachina Point and the Rim Trail which is an unpaved trail with wayside exhibits and plant identification signs along the way.
One of the most interesting points of interest to me was Puerco Pueblo which is a partially excavated 100 room pueblo build around 1250 B.C.E. Other points of interest associated with Puerco Pueblo are the Newspaper Rock and ancient petroglyphs. The park service has mounted telescopes which are aimed at the petroglyphs so that all visitors can see the rocks. There are even telescopes at the appropriate heights for children and visitors in wheelchairs.
The The Petrified Forest National Monument begins South of I-40 within the same park area. The first point of interest was the Agate Bridge which is a huge tree of stone that lies across a deep gully. This tree has been reinforced by concrete. This particular formation was made famous by early visitors to the area. We saw 1930's era visitors sitting on this log in the orientation film.
The next point of interest was the Crystal Forest loop trail. To me this was the most interesting area of the park. We walked around with our mouths open just saying "Wow!" We of course wondered how so many trees ended up at this particular spot as rocks. It was a great opportunity to talk about fossils also. From this loop trail, there are petrified wood scenes from every direction that a person can look.
The park road ends up at the Rainbow Forest Museum. This is a second visitor center with touchable exhibits, dinosaur bones, and polished slabs of petrified wood. Behind this visitor center there is a trail among many huge logs of petrified wood logs.
My Experience
The day we visited was overcast, so many of the colors were muted. If we had had more time our pass would have been good from Dec. 30, 2003 to Jan 5, 2004. Unfortunately, we only had a few hours to spend. Restroom facilities and drinking water fountains were placed at reasonable distances throughout the park. At each restroom facility, the distance to the next restroom was listed. The park staff were courteous and informative. The entire length of the road through the park was 21 miles...21 miles of "WOW!"
I was disappointed to see some teenagers being "rowdy" on the rock formations. There were many signs posted all along the trail to stay on the trail, to keep off the rock formations, and we were given a neon green paper at the entrance with our pass stating the respective fines for vandalizing, littering, or collecting petrified wood in the park. Another visitor to the park said something to these kids about their behavior, and they were mouthy to him. I later saw the man on one of the "yellow emergency phones" which are also placed throughout the park and used by visitors to report vandalism and rock collecting by visitors. That whole scene sort of made me feel bad for our Petrified Forest Park. It would be sad if this American Treasure had to close because it was taken away by the visitors.
The gift shop contained petrified wood items for sale that were collected on lands outside of the park area. This particular gift shop had reasonable prices, and a friendly group of staff. You were greeted upon entering the store with a friendly "Hi!" We purchased some petrified wood, polished rocks and postcards at this store. The clerk reminded us not to open the container of petrified wood until we were completely out of the park.
Upon exiting the The Petrified Forest National Monument we were waved out by the park ranger. I would not have liked to have been stopped and had the Jeep gone through. It was a strange feeling to think that I could be stopped for rocks. But all in all, I am glad those rules are in effect. I would like to take my grand children to this park.
Final Thoughts
This is a must see American Treasure. It is raw. There is nothing except the land and the petrified forest. The visitor centers are there to inform and for comfort. But there is no flash or glitz at this place. The best times to visit are dawn and sunset. There are ample picnic areas throughout the park, but there are no campgrounds inside the park. However, wilderness camping permits are available with a permit which is free from the visitor center. There are two restaurants inside the park, a travel store and a gas station at the north entrance.
For more information about The Petrified Forest National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest, AZ 86028-2217
http:www.nps.gov/pefo
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
marilynn..
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Member: Marilynn Newman
Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 68
Trusted by: 11 members
About Me:
God Bless the USAF and especially my son Matthew!
Matthew is transferring to Lakenheath England.
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