Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

 

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Visiting Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is one of my short side excursions during the drive toward Bryce Canyon. This is by no means comparable with Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. However, for people driving through like me, or those who camp in the same state park, it's a worthwhile hike.

The hike to the petrified woods was surprisingly more difficult than I expected, probably since I had just hiked 6 miles to Lower Calf Creek Falls, and had little to eat or drink since.Nevertheless, small kids or older folks might have difficulties navigating the trails. There were not a lot of petrified wood, but enough to keep hikers entertained. The rocks were quite colorful, perhaps even more than what I remembered of the ones I saw in the national park. The view of Wide Hollow Reservoir from the trail was fantastic, especially during the fall foliage season.

I took many more pictures for informational purpose using a small point and shoot. Unfortunately, I dropped that camera during a hike in the Virgin River to The Narrows and could not find it later. So, available pictures are mostly of the closeup variety.

The most interesting thing is probably finding out what created petrified wood. There is a good wikipedia article explaining the subject with the following quotation: "During the Late Triassic, downed trees accumulating in river channels in what became the park were buried periodically by sediment containing volcanic ash. Groundwater dissolved silica (silicon dioxide) from the ash and carried it into the logs, where it formed quartz crystals that gradually replaced the organic matter. Traces of iron oxide and other substances combined with the silica to create varied colors in the petrified wood."

Photographic suggestions: Need both a wide angle lens for photos with context of the surrounding, and a lens for closeup shots of colorful rocks. In sunny condition, a polarizing filter would help reduce glares.

Hiking: Bring water in hot weather. Wear sturdy hiking shoes.

Getting There

  • The park is located right in Escalante, Utah off N Reservoir Road. Getting in and out is easy if you're in the area. There is a fee to visit the park.

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