rainbow forest

I completely agree with what most reviewers have to say: it's amazing walking through this 'forest', full of pretty colors. It's fascinating that the wood has undergone this slow process of fossilization and is probably millions of years old! The one thing that saddened me was the plethora of shops right outside the national park selling petrified wood by the pound. I wish that more could be done to preserve this treasure so it'll be there for future generations to enjoy. I'd originally intended to buy a piece of polished wood from the park store but this just changed my mind..True to the NP motto, I 'took' only pictures.

Just rode thru the Petrified Forest-truly amazing. This small museum located near the exit is a must see. The dinosaur collection is truly amazing and the history informative. Great for kids and adults!!

These petrified trees have all the colours of the rainbow captured. It is great to do the easy walk and just look at the beauty captured from so long ago.

all locations of the park were easily accessible. the park rangers were kind and informative. We really enjoyed seeing all the colors of the petrified wood that we never knew existed before seeing them here. The prices in the gift shop were very high, so we took only pictures!

We began our tour of the Petrified Forest at the Rainbow Forest Museum at the south end of the park. The trail with information stops (with pamphlet) was very interesting. We especially enjoyed the wonderful colors of the petrified wood. The displays in the museum were clear and very informative. Due to a time limit, we visited about half of the lookouts. All were very worthwhile. We also stopped at Chinde Point for a picnic lunch. Good shade at the picnic tables.

Came through the area in 2004 and wanted to stop again. This visit we bought a tour audio cd to listen to while going through park. It is available at both ends in park offoce. It was great and helped us to better understand what we where seeing. It made a major difference this time. Was less then 10 dollars which was well worth ever penny.

The petrified wood was very cool to see. It was all very colorful. This while national park was great and a lot bigger and better than I imagined it to be.

I had a whole different idea as to what maybe involved in a forest in the desert. I was pleasantly surprised. Very interesting and pretty.

We visited Petrified Forest National Park in Mid-May. This is something you should do if you have never seen petrified wood before, otherwise it might not be worth the trip. You can do this park and the Painted Dessert in half a day. The down side is the park makes you feel like a criminal as soon as you get there. Signs everywhere announcing fines. While I understand the need to protect the remaining petrified wood from being taken, I do not agree with their draconian methods. This place has more rules than a prison camp. They encourage you to call in to report other visitors and they even have a, rarely open, vehicle inspection station with signs warning it is ahead.The weather was not too warm, but the day we were there was very windy. There is not a bit of shade anywhere in the park so if you go on a walk take a hat and plenty of water. The sun gets really hot even when the air is cool. They have a visitor center with informative displays on how the wood is formed and the staff is happy to explain in more detail. There is also an area out back with some good specimens, including polished ones, that are not too far to walk. The visitor center and this area is under a visible guard presence. There are tons of places right around the park that sell petrified wood of all sizes.As you drive toward the Painted Desert you will have places to pull off and check out some of the logs on display. You are not allowed to go off the short trails. After a few stops it gets to be about the same thing in each area, but the surrounding landscape begins to change.

The geology of the area was interesting. The downed and petrified logs were unique. I'll swear, though, there is more petrified wood and logs in gift shops in Holbrook than in the national park. I understand that it didn't used to be illegal to take petrified logs from the park until a few decades ago; so much was taken and is now for sale just outside the park. Interesting is my word to describe this park.

The rainbow forest was great. The fossil is trees are amazing. With the beautiful colors in them. And you can tell they were trees too.

It is really out of the way, no matter where you are, but it was worth the stop for us. It was only $10 per vehicle. We could have spent all day there, but only had a little time. We didn't venture into the park too far, but saw and learned many things just around the Rainbow Forest Museum. We got some great photos, got to touch petrified wood & enjoy the beautiful scenery. It was cool to learn about all of the fossils found there. It was a long drive out of our way, but worth it for us.

In June 2014 the loop trail is under construction that looks to last a while, making this a 1.6 mile out/back trail, but it is the best way to see a bunch of petrified logs. There is no shade on the trail so it gets hot, especially when retracing steps, but seeing this is the reason you are here.

This offers, aside from the Crystal Forest, the most expansive remnants of the petrified trees. The walks are nicely laid out offering a plethora of photo ops. The visitors center is extremely nice offering activities for the kids and families, restrooms, a gift shop, and a snack bar.

On our drive through Arizona, decided to take this loop through the Arizona desert. It was well worth the drive to see all the petrified wood there.The colors in the Tepee Area was beautiful to see. There were bathrooms along the way, with some of them closed.