Autumn Hours and Program Changes

Date: August 25, 2009
Contact: Lyn Carranza, 928-524-6228 x245

Petrified Forest National Park Changes to Autumn Hours and Programs—September 2009

Petrified Forest, AZ―Park Superintendent Cliff Spencer announces that Petrified Forest National Park will be changing to shorter autumnal hours on September 8, 2009. The park will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST) daily. The Painted Desert Visitor Center and the Rainbow Forest Museum hours will be the same as the park hours. The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Autumnal hours will continue through October 24, 2009.

Adventures can be found every day throughout the park (times begin on September 8):

Painted Desert Impromptu: 9:00 am–10:30 am and 3:15 pm–5:15 pm—Ranger will be between Tawa Point and Kachina Point, along the Rim Trail or inside Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark. Explore this intriguing National Historic Landmark with a ranger and discover its fascinating past. Meet the ranger at the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark; ask for a program!

Puerco Pueblo Tour: 11:00 am and 2:00 pm daily—Take a journey into the past and discover the ancestral Puebloan people of Petrified Forest. Meet the ranger at the Puerco Pueblo trailhead.

Triassic Park Program: 10:00 am, 11:30 am, and 2:00 pm daily—How did living trees turn to stone? Discover Triassic treasures with a ranger, which may include a talk in the sunroom and/or an easy walk (with a few short stairs) along the Giant Logs Trail. Meet in the Rainbow Forest Museum sunroom.

Keep your eyes out! Rangers and volunteers rove the trails to help you explore and respond to your questions. There may even be impromptu programs!

Please note that ranger programs are subject to cancellation due to weather conditions or staffing issues.

For more information call [phone] weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. MST; or write to the Superintendent, Petrified Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest, AZ 86028; or   e-mail the park Superintendent at .