INTRO:

One of the great collections of fossils in the world, the Petrified Forest National Park is a vast and fascinating bonanza for scientists professional and amateur alike. The recently expanded park offers a range of wonders -- from the colorful natural beauty of the ancient petrified trees, to the treasure trove of archaeological sites with fossilized plants and animals to the absorbing petroglyphs left by long-gone cultures.

FOSSILS:
The most famous aspect of the Petrified Forest National Park is the multihued petrified wood that dates from 225 years ago. The stone logs are all that remain of giant trees that were petrified under ash, sand and silt. It's also a paleontologists dream because of the wide range of other plant, fish and reptile, including dinosaur, bones about from the Late Triassic Period. You are not allowed to remove materials from the park - the only petrified wood you can legally take is from the gift shop - but there are many educational opportunities and special events to be had. See the FAQ to find out how the Petrified Forest was formed.

ACTIVITIES:

While you can take the 28-mile drive through the park and get a great glimpse of the hallucinogenic Painted Desert, hiking or backpacking is the only way to truly experience the scope of the Petrified Forest National Park. The best place to start is the Petrified Forest Visitor Center, where activities are posted and educational talks can be heard. The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark, the Rainbow Forest Museum, Jasper Forest Overlook and a couple of Ranger-guided tours are possible stops on the trail. There are also eight scenic overlooks at Petrified Forest National Park if you want to take a step back and put it all in perspective. To get closer to the action, you can backpack overnight in the Petrified Forest Wilderness with a free permit.

LODGING AND RESTAURANTS:

There are a range of hotels about 20 miles from the Petrified Forest National Park stretched down Navajo Boulevard in Holbrook, AZ. The Holiday Inn (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/HOLEX?&) is the nicest. Flagstaff (1.5 hours west), and Gallup (1 hour east) also have accommodations. If you're looking for a restaurant near the Petrified Forest, try Mesa Italiana or the Butterfield Stage Co. in Holbrook or Alfonso's Mexican Food in Winslow.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

Petrified Forest National Park is open year round except on Christmas, December 25. Park hours are typically 7:00am to 7:00pm MST in the spring and summer, 7:00am to 6:00pm MST in the autumn and 8:00am to 5:00pm MST in the winter. An annual membership to the park is $20, while a one week car pass is $10 and bike or walking tickets are $5. Leashed dogs are welcome on all of the paved trails and scenic overlooks.

WHEN TO VISIT:

About half of the visitors to Petrified Forest National Park go in June, July and August when temperatures average in the 90s. To avoid the crowds and the heat visit in April or May. It tends to be quite wet in the autumn and surprisingly cold in the winter.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How was the Petrified Forest formed? Redwood trees up to eight feet wide and hundreds of feet high fell and were covered by material from nearby volcanoes. Water seeping into the wood carried silica from the ash that over time crystallized and replaced the living parts of the logs. The variety of colors in the logs at Petrified Forest National Park was caused by the presence of iron, manganese, copper, lithium and other minerals.

Who discovered the Petrified Forest? While ancient cultures lived in the area for years, and the Spanish passed through there, Lorenzo Silgreaves of the U.S. Army was the first person to document the petrified wood in the area.

When was the Petrified Forest discovered and when did it become a park? Silgreaves wrote about the area in 1851, though it wasn't until two years later that naturalist Balduin Möllhausen became the first to publish illustrations of the petrified wood. The Petrified Forest National Monument was created by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, and Petrified Forest National Park was established by an act of Congress in 1962.

Where can I get more information and facts about the Petrified Forest National Park? The National Park Service site (http://www.nps.gov/pefo/) is very useful for paleontologists and tourists alike.