National park
State park · Southern Utah
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
A reservoir and campground just outside the town of Escalante, with a trail past colorful logs of petrified wood.
Photo: Mramoeba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Plan your visit: access, parking and practical details
Check the operator’s current fees, reservations, parking, transit, restrooms and accessibility arrangements before leaving. Confirm specific mobility or sensory needs directly with the venue.
Official visitor information ↗The park’s Petrified Forest Trail climbs a mesa above Wide Hollow Reservoir to logs of petrified wood in red, yellow and purple. A shorter Sleeping Rainbows Trail loops past even more colorful pieces.
Wide Hollow Reservoir offers paddling and fishing, and the campground is a comfortable base for exploring the Escalante canyons and Scenic Byway 12.
Don't miss
- Petrified Forest TrailA loop past large logs of colorful petrified wood.
- Sleeping Rainbows TrailA steeper spur with some of the best wood.
- Wide Hollow ReservoirPaddling and fishing, with canoe rentals in season.
- CampgroundA base for exploring the Escalante canyons.
Petrified wood at Escalante Petrified Forest. File photo, September 2, 2011. Trailside fossil-wood detail. Photo: James St. John · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Good to know
- Do not take petrified wood. It is illegal and, legend says, bad luck.
- Combine with Lower Calf Creek Falls and Highway 12.
- Book campsites early in spring and fall.