• Jasper Forest is magical in twilight, particularly the logs on stone pedestals

    Petrified Forest

    National Park Arizona

Plan A Field Trip

Students Experience a Fossil Dig

Students Experience a Fossil Dig

NPS

Curriculum-based Education Program

Wouldn't it be great if you could incorporate lessons from the classroom into a real world, hands-on experience? You can! Petrified Forest National Park has a curriculum-based program aligned with the Arizona Science (5-24-04) and Mathematics Standards for Grades 4-8: Rockin' Through the Ages: From Fossils to Petroglyphs.

Guided In-Park Ranger Programs

In addition to the curriculum-based program, the park offers ranger programs for more informal field trips. Here are some examples, although we can always try to cater to your specific education needs.

  • Talk inside Rainbow Forest Museum followed by a walk on the Giant Logs Trail, learning about petrified wood and other fossils, the Triassic Period, and erosion.
  • Geology hike to a fossil clam bed.
  • Tour of Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark seeing the craftsmanship of the Civilian Conservation Corps and murals painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.
  • Walk at Puerco Pueblo and its associated petroglyphs learning about the ancestral Puebloan people and their lifestyle.
 
Amanda Shares Ranger Duties in the Classroom

Amanda Shares Ranger Duties in the Classroom

NPS

Classroom Visits

If you are not able to make it to Petrified Forest National Park and live within about 100 miles of the park, we may be able to arrange for a park ranger to visit your classroom. Here are some examples of possible classroom programs, although we can always try to cater to your specific education needs.

  • Conducting lessons taken from the Rockin' education manual.
  • Discussion of petrified wood and fossil formation, including the Triassic Period.

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Did You Know?

closeup of colorful agatized petrified wood

Petrified wood at Petrified Forest National Park is almost solid quartz, weighing in at 168 pounds per cubic foot. It's so hard, you can only cut it with a diamond tipped saw! More...