Contact: Hallie Larsen, 928-524-6228 x274
Petrified Forest—Join Petrified Forest National Park in celebrating the 27th Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month. There will be Cultural Demonstrators, tours of historic and archeological sites, hikes to special places that most visitors don’t get to see, and family oriented activities. Park activities and programs include: 10 am Daily Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark tours—discover this charming historic inn. Meet the ranger at the inn for this easy walk around the historic building. 3 pm Daily Puerco Pueblo tour—explore an ancestral Puebloan village. Meet the ranger at the Puerco Pueblo trailhead. 10 am—4 pm Each Saturday in March American Indian and other artists will be highlighting their crafts, skills, and selling hand-made art. Artisans will possibly include traditional potters, carvers, weavers, and jewelers, with different artists being featured each Saturday at the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark. 9 am—12 noon Each Saturday in March Demonstrations: “Flint Knapping/Stone Tool Manufacturing,” by Jason Theuer, Park Archeologist. Watch reproductions of prehistoric artifacts being made and learn the secrets of these ancient skills, Painted Desert Visitor Center plaza (weather permitting). Special Hikes to Places Most Visitors Never See! Be prepared: appropriate shoes, hat, sunscreen and lots of water. The routes cross rough, sandy, rocky, and uneven terrain. There will not be an opportunity to turn around and return once the tour is underway—all participants must stay with the group. 1 pm March 6 Hike and Tour: McCreery Pueblo, 2 miles moderate hike Join archeologist Jason Theuer for a hike to a Chaco Great Kiva. Suitable for children ages 8 and above. Meet at mile marker 8 on the park road. High clearance vehicles may be required. Parked vehicles must be safely and completely out of the travel lanes of the park road, all four wheels outside the white line. 1 pm March 13 Hike: Mountain Lion Mesa Petroglyphs, approximately 5 + miles of strenuous/difficult uneven terrain Join archeologist Jason Theuer for a hike to an area with an amazingly high concentration of petroglyphs. Suitable for children who can hike 5 miles or more. Meet at Crystal Forest Parking lot. High clearance vehicles may be required. 1 pm March 20 Hike: Puerco Ridge Archeological Hike, approximately 5 + miles of strenuous/difficult uneven terrain Join park archaeologists for a special hike to prehistoric sites spanning the last 2,000 years in the park’s southern wilderness area. Suitable for children who can hike 5 miles or more. Meet at Crystal Forest Parking lot. 1 pm March 27 Hike: Puerco Pueblo Petroglyph Hike, 2 + miles easy to moderate hike Join park archaeologists for a walk and hike to visit a prehistoric site and petroglyphs. Suitable for children ages 8 and above. Meet at the Puerco Pueblo parking lot. For the entire month of March 2010, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is coordinating activities throughout the state. Visit the Arizona State Park website page for Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month events throughout the state at http://azstateparks.com/find/arch_calendar.html For information call (928) 524-6228, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time; or write to the Superintendent, Petrified Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest, AZ 86028; or e-mail the park Superintendent. |
Last updated: February 24, 2015