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Escalante Petrified Forest State Park - Utah
| Summary: |
A small, drab
little state park with little to see or do. The
main feature of the park is the petrified wood
and small man made reservoir. There is much
better petrified wood near Wolverine Canyon in
Grand Staircase Escalante down the road, and
that area is free. Like all UT state
parks, there are fees for everything: entry fee
$5 per car load, bicycles and walk ins $3,
showers $2 per person (plus the $5 entry fee),
camping $14 per night (includes shower), canoe
rental $5 per hour, $10 for 4 hours.. |
| Directions: |
The park is located on
Highway 12 between mile posts 58 & 59 a few
miles west of the small town of Escalante. |
| Road Conditions: |
Passenger Car - paved all the
way |
| Navigation: |
Easy |
| Length: |
1.5 miles |
| Date Hiked: |
November,
2002 |
| Weather Conditions: |
Cool & sunny |
|
Required Skills: |
None |
| Hike Description: |
There's only one trail in the
park. Pick up a nature trial guide at the
trailhead kiosk. The short trail leads up a
steep hill and features some colorful petrified
wood (please do not collect). The wood is the
remains of ancient conifer trees that existed
when the area was considerably wetter and more
tropical. Some of the pieces are extremely well
preserved and contain very minute details of the
bark and tree rings. The size of the trees is
interesting as well, and make a sharp contrast
with the flora that exists today. A 0.75 mile
optional spur trail leads down a hill side to
some of the better examples of petrified wood in the park. |
| Rating (1-5 stars): |
The author and his wife visited the park
mainly to get a shower (the showers are nice).
The petrified wood is interesting, but not worth
the $5 entry fee. We hiked the one and only
trail in about ½ an hour. |
| Maps: |
None |
| Books: |
None |
| Photos: |
No pictures were taken on
this hike. |
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