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Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
Nat'l Recreation Area

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

United States

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We display cached information from agency feeds. Hours, fees, permits, closures, fire restrictions, and conditions change without notice. Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current conditions for this park using the links above before you go — you are responsible for compliance. Last verified by us: May 20, 2026. Spot an error in our data?

About

Imported description
Discover the kaleidoscopic colors of wood reclaimed from the Earth. 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. Escalante Petrified Forest is a great stop on Utah's Road to Mighty® between two of The Mighty 5® national parks, or could serve as a base camp to adventure throughout Southern Utah. Make a reservation on the Utah State Parks reservation site.

Source: recreation.gov

From Wikipedia

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is a state park in Utah, United States, located 0.8 km north of Escalante. The park features a high mesa that was once an ancient floodplain. Approximately 135 to 155 million years ago, large trees were buried in mud during floods. Groundwater eventually replaced the organic material with silica, preserving the wood as fossils through permineralization. Erosion has exposed these petrified logs, which were prized by hobbyists before the park's establishment. The logs are believed to be from conifers transported by a river before being buried and fossilized as agate.

Source: Wikipedia — text licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Verify alerts and operational details with the managing agency below.

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Hunting in this park

Hunting is generally prohibited in this National Park Service unit

Verify current park-specific rules with the National Park Service before planning any hunt. See NPS regulations

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