Petrified Forest - South

Petrified Forest

NPS Photo/G. Anderson

Quick Facts

Location:

South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Significance:

A large concentration of petrified wood.

Amenities

1 listed

Scenic View/Photo Spot

Theodore Roosevelt National Park was a very different place 65 million years ago. Just after the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Rocky Mountains were forming in the west and the land where the park now sits was a flat, swampy delta. Champsosaurus gigas, a crocodile-like predator hunted in the water, where turtles, snails, clams and more lived. And all around grew massive trees like sequoia, bald cypress, and magnolia.

These trees are still around today if you know where to look. Quickly buried by sediments washed down from the growing Rockies, the trees didn’t decompose, instead undergoing a process called petrification: water washed through the mineral rich sediments surrounding the buried trees and these minerals slowly replaced the organic compounds inside the trunks. As the badlands eroded, these petrified remnants were slowly exposed.

The petrified forest in Theodore Roosevelt National Park contains the third highest concentration of petrified wood in the United States, after Petrified Forest National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

The southern section of the petrified forest has slightly fewer stumps than the northern section, but offers dramatic views of the wilderness to the southeast, where elk are frequently seen.

It is illegal to remove any resource from a national park. Leave any flower, stone, or other object where you find it so that other visitors can enjoy it as well. 

It is illegal to carve, paint, or otherwise alter anything in a national park

Petrified Forest Trailhead Access Update: Use Approved Route

Directions to the Petrified Forest trailhead have changed. Please use the approved legal route from I-94, Exit 10 toward Camels Hump Lake and follow the clearly marked posts. This update helps maintain good cooperation with neighbors and respect park boundaries.
 

• Take Exit 10 towards Camels Hump Lake  

• Turn right and continue on CR-11  

• Take an immediate right and travel for 3.7 miles  

• Turn right onto 30th St SW and travel for 3.5 miles  

• Turn left onto Wannagan Creek Rd at Durham Ranch (Watch for Children sign present) and travel for 3.2 miles  

• Turn right onto 730 (no sign present) and travel for 4.4 miles  

• Turn left and travel one mile to the Petrified Forest trailhead  

• The trail starts at the lift gate behind the trailhead sign

From Medora, the drive to the Petrified Forest is approximately 50 minutes on dirt and gravel roads.