Petrified Forest National Park expands by 26,000 acres

by Sean McLachlan on


The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona just got bigger to the tune of 26,000 acres.

After years of negotiation, the National Park Service bought the land from a ranching family, the Daily Democrat reports. This land had been enveloped by the park when it expanded from 93,500 acres to 218,500 acres in 2004.

The park is famous for its colorful petrified trees scattered across the landscape. The scenery is equally colorful, with rugged hills striated with differently hued stone.

Since the new acquisition is remote ranching land closed to visitors, it should prove a treasure trove to archaeologists and paleontologists. Traces of prehistoric Native Americans, such as arrowheads and petroglyphs (rock art) are common finds in the park, and many dinosaur bones have also been found. Scientists get first dibs on the area, so it will be at least a few years before it opens to the public.

[Photo courtesy the Petrified Forest Ranger, who has an amazing photostream on flickr]

Ten Can’t Miss Hikes Courtesy of the National Parks Foundation and Merrell

by Kraig Becker on

Just in time for National Trails Day, the National Parks Foundation and outdoor gear company Merrell, have announced their ten “can’t miss” hikes for the summer ahead. As you can imagine, each of these trails can be found inside a national park, and each makes for a fantastic experience guaranteed to wow outdoor enthusiasts and casual trekkers alike.

The ten trails are located in a variety of places across the country, which means that there is likely to be one of these routes located in your region, no matter where you live in the U.S. They also cross through a wide variety of environments, including mountains, deserts, caves, and more. The shortest of the routes is a mere 650 yards in length, while the longest stretches for five miles through scenic California backcountry, ensuring there is something for everyone on the list.

The ten can’t miss hikes, according to the NPF and Merrell, are as follows:

1. Painted Desert Rim Trail (1 Mile)
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

2. Wapama Falls (5 Miles)
Yosemite National Park, California

3. Rim Rock Nature Trail (1 Mile)
Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

4. Turtle Mound Trail (.3 Miles)
Canaveral National Seashore, Florida

5. General Bragg Trail (5 Miles)
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia
6. Interdune Boardwalk (650 Yards)
White Sands National Park, New Mexico

7. Canyons Trail (3.5 Miles)
Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota

8. Dog Canyon Trail (4 Miles)
Big Bend National Park, Texas

9. Andrews Bald Trail (3.5 Miles)
Great Smokey Mountains, Tennessee

10. Ocean Path Trail (4 Miles)
Acadia National Park, Maine

There you have it! Ten great trails in ten great national parks locations. Any one of these hikes are a fantastic way to spend National Trails Day, or any other day this summer for that matter. So lace up your hiking boots and get a move on!

What is your favorite trail?

[Photo Credit: chensiyuan via WikiMedia]

WHS new “Tentative List”: Places to Love–Petrified Forest National Park

by Jamie Rhein on

For the Gadling series “World Heritage Site new “Tentative List”: Places to Love” we are covering the 14 sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site in the United States. The sites will not be posted in order of importance or in the order they appear on the list.

Number 13

Name of Site: Petrified Forest National Park

Location: In Arizona almost halfway between Albuquerque, New Mexico (204 miles) and Phoenix, Arizona (259 miles)

Reason for importance in a nutshell: 10,000 years of human history + deposits of petrified wood that date to the Late Triassic paleo-ecosystem (205-225 million years ago) + dinosaur fossils and more + “one of the most diverse collections of prehistoric pottery fragments in the Southwest.”

Jamie’s Take: I’ve been here at least three times and can vouch that the beauty of the Petrified Forest is not just the petrified wood or the fossils. The Painted Desert is part of the Petrified Forest National Park. Here, the landscape is the kind you could look at every day for a year and never get bored. Depending on the angle of the sun, colors change from burnt orange to purpley blue. The mix of human existance with the natural world is the calling card, but this a physically facinating part of the United States. For anyone who grew up living around forests and grass covered scenery, here’s a place to see what all those layers of earth look like.

While you’re visiting, check out the Painted Desert Inn which is a National Historic Landmark. The dining room and lunchroom are decorated with murals depicting Hopi culture. Also in the park is a section of original Route 66 highway. Another worthwhile stop is the Rainbow Forest Museum. Interpretive displays and a film explain the significance of the area. If you can’t make it any time soon, here’s a virtual tour.