Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
What's Nearby
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Bryce Canyon National Park
An alpine forest with as many red rock hoodoos as trees. At dawn and dusk, mule deer graze the forested plateau along the road into Bryce Canyon.
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Capitol Reef National Park
Even considering Utah’s many impressive national parks and monuments, it is difficult to rival Capitol Reef National Park’s sense of expansiveness, of broad, sweeping vistas, of a tortured, twisted, seemingly endless landscape, or of limitless sky and desert rock.
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Grand Staircase-Escalante
The allure of the Grand Staircase region — the bulk of which is contained in the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument — is phenomenal. Sun-drenched Utah backcountry spreads out well beyond the visible horizon from the road, whether you’re traveling along the The All-American Road: Scenic Byway 12, or on Highway 89.
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The All-American Road: Scenic Byway 12
This is 122.863 miles (to be exact) of pure driving bliss. Welcome to Utah’s Scenic Byway 12, a designated All-American Road.
Basecamp Towns
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Boulder
Boulder, Utah, is a remote, charming town full of scenic beauty. This gateway to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park offers relaxation and outdoor adventure.
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Escalante
Between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon national parks and perched on the edge of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, the town of Escalante offers access to some of the most beautiful parts of Southern Utah.
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Panguitch
Panguitch, Utah, captures the enduring pioneer spirit of Utah with its welcoming rural charm and strong sense of heritage.
What Makes It Great
Before you roll your eyes and say, “Oh wow, old wood,” take a look at these colorful specimens and note at what time, over millions of years, has done to these fossilized trees. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anything else quite as multi-colored in Southern Utah.
The most-hiked trail in the park is the Petrified Forest Trail. This one-mile loop winds through lava flows and a juniper forest. Use the hiking guide you pick up at the trailhead to learn about points of interest along the trail and note spots with petrified wood. That said, there are thousands of specimens of the colorful logs to check out.
An optional add-on — one that is totally worth your time — is the Sleeping Rainbows Trail. This .75-mile loop is much steeper than the other trails, where you traverse into one canyon and then up another, and requires moderate scrambling and climbing over rocks. This section has the most dense concentration of petrified wood in the park. Along the trail, named after the native Fremont Indian description of this region, you’ll see logs up to 15 feet long — be sure to add it to your list.
In addition to the petrified wood and fun trails, the fishing in Wide Hollow Reservoir, which is fully stocked with rainbow trout and bluegill, is excellent, and the boating and kayaking is serene.
What You’ll Remember
The kaleidoscopic colors of wood reclaimed from the Earth; being in awe at the power of nature and the ancient remnants of time past; the expansive vistas of the reservoir and surrounding mountains from the top of the hiking loop; the cool, refreshing waters of the lake.
There's a good reason why the setting here is so spectacular. The state park and nearby town of Escalante stand watch over the nearby Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, which is more than 1.8 million acres of outdoor adventure spread across slot canyons, slickrock and other geologic wonders. There's a visitor center at Escalante to help you find the perfect areas for hiking, mountain biking, off-roading and camping and other outdoor attraction options, which makes the campsite at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park an excellent base camp. It's a short drive to Calf Creek Falls, which is a developed interpretive trail in the Escalante Canyons section of the nearby Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Plan Your Visit
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is open year-round and is best enjoyed from late-March to September when the temperatures are the most comfortable. If hiking during the summer season, begin your trip early in the morning or in late evening. Dogs are allowed in the park.
The helpful onsite visitor center offers educational opportunities and displays of petrified wood, petrified dinosaur bones, ammonite and shell fossils. When you enter the park, stop here first to begin your visit and learn more about the area before venturing off onto one of several trails or playing in the reservoir.
The proximity to Escalante makes this park ideal for day use and beyond. Located on the plateau two miles northwest of town, it is but a scant two miles away, off of Highway 12 — also known as Utah Scenic Byway 12.
Park at the visitor center, the trailhead to Petrified Forest Trail, or the campground, all of which are within a stone’s throw of each other. Day-use entry fee required, purchase in-person or online. The Annual Utah State Park Pass is accepted for park entry. Advance camping reservations are recommended.
