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Visiting Petrified Forest National Park

If you're ever driving through Arizona down I-40, it will be well worth your time to stop at the Petrified Forest National Park for a few hours. The park offers some great sights, most that you can enjoy from your car or a short walk.

Painted Deserts
My favorite part of the park is the view of the Painted Deserts from the Blue Mesa. The the rolling rock and sand look like waves of red, brown, and orange that go out as far as the eye can see. The landscape is so unusual you feel like you're on Mars.
Further along in the park, hieroglyphics and giant pieces of petrified wood hint at times long past. You can see a lot of this from your car but short trails throughout the park allow you to get a closer view.

Petrified Wood
Petrified wood is a type of fossil that resulted from a tree. The tree has become stone through a process called permineralization. This means the organic material of the plant has been completely replaced by minerals. Coloring of the petrified wood depends on the type of mineral. Petrified wood is an unusual fossil because it is not an impression or compression. It is an actually representation of the tree. It takes less than 100 years for plant stem tissue to petrify.

Comments
Hi Brenda,
Such spectacular colors in that petrified wood! Just added a link from this hub to my latest one titled The Grand Canyon + 2 other Spectacular National Parks in Arizona. Will make a nice addition to the Petrified Forest National Park part of it. Voted useful and interesting.
Hi brenda, I saw a petrified tree in yellowstone park and thought it fascinating!
How I would love to visit here, great pictures and interesting article.
Thank you and voted up
Definitely, the fall sounds good to me for the desert , maybe even winter! lol. It's just the beginning of summer and the heat is horrible, not sure I want to know what next month will be like.
Yeah I feel you on that one. 104 here in Texas which I see you're from as well, don't think I'd like the heat in Arizona too much. Way too hot! lol
I haven't been to Arizona either but would love to go someday. Always wanted to see the desert, it looks pretty. Great hub!
I have never been to Arizona....maybe through the corner on the way somewhere else. Great pictures and a wonderful hub!
Great pictures. We wanted to go when we were in Flagstaff a few weeks ago but it was too far of a drive for the short time we were there. So many things to do, so little time.
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