After two and a half days of driving toward a Northern Arizona adventure it was a pleasant and worthwhile break to stop at the Petrified Forest National Park. Which is really not a forest as much as a painted desert with a lot of wood chunks that have literally transformed into rock over the eons and ancient human historical sites.

The park is laid out with 12 scenic stops over a 28-mile stretch. There is not much hiking available as most of the park is protected and off limits. However, several scenic areas do offer some leg stretching loops.

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