The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert

Friday was so much fun. I had read about the Petrified Forest National Park, that it was a really great place to visit. So it was on my bucket list and on Friday Bob and I went there.

O. M. G....This place is amazing. For the measly cost of $10/car (actually we did not have to pay because we had purchased the annual National Parks Pass) we were treated to a 28 mile long drive with frequent turn-offs with the most incredible views. There are also short trails where you can hike to different areas. All this is pet friendly, so of course Auggie came with us. We brought a lunch and ate along the way.

Bob and I agreed that our expectations of the Petrified Forest were different than what we saw. We expected upright trees, and there are none. But there are logs all over certain areas of the park that are so old they have actually turned to stone, quartz to be precise. Amazing.

The Painted Desert is larger than this National Park, extending to the Grand Canyon, but it is pristine and hauntingly beautiful, looking like no one has ever walked through it. We took lots of photos and it was so difficult to choose which ones to show. Here are our favorites.

We also saw "Newspaper Rock," which has 200 year old petroglyphs. Click on the picture to see them better.

As we were driving along we noticed an odd cloud formation that looked like a space ship.

I wholeheartedly recommend stopping at this National Park if you find yourself near Rte 40 in AZ.