PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK | Episode 1 | Giant Logs, Long Logs, Agate House, Crystal Forest

Visiting Petrified Forest National Park and wondering what there is to see and what stops are worth it? We venture from South to North and break up the overlooks and trails to help you plan your trip.

▬▬ C A C T U S A T L A S . C O M ▬▬
⚪ Read our review - https://cactusatlas.com/advent....ures/petrified-fores
⚪ Get more information - https://cactusatlas.com/inform....ation/petrified-fore

Welcome to the first in our four-part series covering Petrified Forest National Park. In our first episode, we enter the South Entrance and check out the Visitor Center for a bit of history, tour the Giant Logs Trail where we see the mammoth Old Faithful log, cross the street to check out the Long Logs Trail and Agate House, and finally drive north to see hike the Crystal Forest Trail.

Petrified Forest National Park is located in Northeast Arizona near Interstate 40 east of the town of Holbrook. The park is filled with excellent examples of petrified wood dating back about 220 million years. The process of petrification occurred when the now extinct trees toppled over into a river and were buried under layers of silt, mud, sand, and volcanic ash. The minerals from these layers, combined with the water, saturated the trees and bonded with the wood cells eventually replacing the wood.

The Giant Logs Trail is a self-guided 0.3-mile long trail that shows off some of the most exquisite examples of petrified wood. These colorful logs display a rainbow of brilliant reds, yellows, and purples. You would almost swear they were real wood as the outside appears almost as though it was bark. On some examples, you can even count rings. The star of this trail is Old Faithful - a 35-foot long log that weighs approximately 44 tons.

Across Petrified Forest Rd is the Long Logs Trail and Agate House Trail. Combined the two trails make for a 2.6-mile hike. The Long Logs Trail measures 1.6 miles and is a loop trail showcasing the site of a log jam from the late Triassic period. Some of the logs on this trail measure as long as 180 feet! They really spark the imagination to try to visualize what this ancient forest must have looked like at one time.

The Agate House is a reconstructed pueblo built of petrified wood. Talk about your log cabin! It is believed that the pueblo was inhabited around 900 to 1200 AD. While you cannot enter the house, there is a window to peer in and imagine what life inside would have been like all those years ago.

Crystal Forest is a 0.75-mile paved loop trail that takes visitors close to more examples of petrified logs. This area combines the views of the high desert along with the landscape of badlands. Colorful striped hills emerge and there's not a bad view in sight.

Please note that when visiting Petrified Forest National Park, removal of any objects, including wood, is PROHIBITED by Federal Law. Artifacts, wood, and minerals are not to be removed. Gift shops both within the park as well as in the area have many gorgeous polished examples to purchase and take home.


VIDEO FILMED: 07/03/2020

▬▬ R E L A T E D V I D E O S ▬▬
⚪ Valley of Fire West - https://youtu.be/hcWVACy7AbY
⚪ Valley of Fire East - https://youtu.be/sbasO1HIDj4

▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ Petrified Forest National Park - https://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm
⚪ Directions to Petrified Forest National Park - https://goo.gl/maps/nYxoQPx6woz9Tn2N6

▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Intro
00:18 Visitor Center
01:42 Giant Logs Trail
07:18 Long Logs/Agate House Trails
09:50 Agate House
10:50 Long Logs
13:24 Crystal Forest

▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.

Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!