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Exploring the National Parks

109: Exploring Petrified Forest National Park: Best Tips + Activities

Exploring the National Parks

Dirt In My Shoes

Science, Society & Culture:places & Travel, Nature, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.8653 Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Alright, buckle up friends, because we're diving headfirst into the quirky charm of Petrified Forest National Park! Let’s forget those big-name parks for a minute and talk about this hidden gem that deserves to be more than just a pit stop on your Route 66 adventure.  This is such a cool park but it is often overlooked. We're here to spill all the secrets and share why this park is absolutely worth visiting and everything that makes it so cool!  Here’s what we’ll cover: The colors of the Painted Desert and how they'll make you feel like you're in a Kung Fu movie The iconic Route 66 pullout, where you can literally stand on a piece of Americana and snap a pic with a vintage Studebaker The lowdown on Holbrook, Arizona, the ultimate Route 66 town, and why it's basically Radiator Springs in real life (plus, John's genius diner idea!) The Blue Mesa trail, where you can hike through a landscape of blue badlands and petrified wood (just watch the clock!) The secret to exploring the Jasper Forest off-the-beaten-path routes and why you need to grab a map from the visitor center Petrified Forest is a park that demands a little extra attention, but trust us, it’s worth it. There really is something for everyone at this park! And hey, if you’re feeling inspired to open that Route 66/Pulp Fiction/Cars diner, you know where to find us!  Your task for today: Tell us what you are more excited about when you go to Petrified Forest? Is it the Route 66 experience or the petrified wood? Head over to the Dirt In My Shoes Facebook or Instagram page and let us know!  For a full summary of this episode, links to things we mentioned, and free resources/deals to get your trip planning started, check out the full show notes here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The colors in here are unreal. It really is crazy that you're looking at a crystallized tree.

0:08.8

Yeah. And with all the colors and you can see the rings and the trees, it's amazing to be able to see that up close.

0:17.7

This is the Exploring the National Parks podcast with Dirt in My Shoes.

0:22.7

My name is Ash and I'm a former park ranger and the founder of Dirt in My Shoes.

0:27.0

I think that the parks are best seen from the trail and I'm here to make National Park

0:31.7

Trip Planning easy.

0:33.2

And I'm John.

0:34.2

I carry the kids on the trails.

0:35.8

I tell stories and notice all the things that Ash doesn't care about much, like birds.

0:41.5

Join us as we show you around America's spectacular national parks.

0:46.0

We're sharing our favorite places, fun facts, adventures, and misadventures.

0:50.0

And we'll even throw in a little trip planning.

0:52.8

Let's start exploring.

1:00.0

Thank you. and we'll even throw in a little trip planning. Let's start exploring. So we took a trip a little while ago, and this trip, I want to say it was like 10 days.

1:08.3

Pretty much the whole time we were driving, we were having to listen.

1:12.0

John forced us to listen to one song.

1:15.6

Yes, I did.

1:16.7

And for a very good reason.

1:18.9

So John had it in his head that our kids really needed to learn the words to take it easy.

1:26.5

By the Eagles.

1:27.7

Because we were heading just in passing, really, to Winslow, Arizona, right?

1:34.9

And we've been there before, but like our kids weren't old enough last time, and this time they're old enough.

...

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