Petrified Forest National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

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Petrified Forest National Park

With one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils, this is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science.

Upcoming Special Events

November is National American Indian Heritage Month!

Our next Cultural Demonstrator:

November 21st: Otto Lucio, Zuni silversmith and jewelry-making, at the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark

December 8th: Anniversary and Holiday Open House at the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark. Join us for hot drinks and holiday treats!

Celebrate the Night Skies of the National Parks!
International Year of Astronomy 2009
Astronomer in the Parks Audiocast Visit the Milky Way with Dr. Tyler Nordgren.

America's Best Idea
Writer and historian Wallace Stegner called national parks “the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” Don’t miss the special The National Parks: America's Best Idea—a six-episode series directed by Ken Burns and written and co-produced by Dayton Duncan—recently shown on PBS. This beautiful film helps to remind us of the significance of our national park sites. Visit PBS to learn more about this film.

Special Programs

Cultural Demonstrators
Most Saturdays throughout the summer, during Arizona Archeology and Heritage Awareness Month in March, and National American Indian Heritage Awareness Month in November, cultural demonstrators can be found at the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark. More...

Artist in Residence
The park invites artists to document national park landscapes with contemporary approaches and techniques as part of the annual Artist in Residence program. More...

Science and Education Center Lecture Series
As part of the Petrified Forest National Park Science and Education Center, a monthly lecture series is held on the first Wednesday of each month. Topics include paleontology, geology, archeology, and others. Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend. Due to construction on part of the historic Painted Desert Complex, the Lecture Series will start again in spring 2010.
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Online and Internet-based Activities

Petrified Forest Social Networking
Petrified Forest National Park is experimenting with new ways to bring the park experience to visitors. We have public domain images available for download at Flickr (not an official NPS website) and are working on other social sites. This is an attempt to help you connect with Petrified Forest National Park and to meet you "where you are at", and "where you expect us to be." More...

Geocaching
EarthCachingGeocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. At Petrified Forest National Park, you can look for EarthCaches, ones that don’t harm, impact, or remove park resources. Can you imagine the treasures you could discover at Petrified Forest? Join in this global phenomenon!
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Petrified Blog

Visit the Petrified Blog to read what our staff has to say about their experiences at Petrified Forest National Park.

Write to

Superintendent, Petrified Forest National Park
PO Box 2217
Petrified Forest, AZ 86028

E-mail Us

Phone

General Park Information
(928) 524-6228

Fax

(928) 524-3567

Climate

Petrified Forest National Park has variable weather throughout the year. Summers are hot with thunderstorms from July through September. With an elevation of over 5,000 feet, winters can be quite cold and snow is a possibility. Spring and fall can be hot or cold with rapidly changing conditions during the day. Always be prepared!

Current Weather Click:
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