Escalante Petrified Forest and Kodachrome Basin
Two U.S. Parks with Petrified Trees & Gravity-defying Sand Spires
Apr 1, 2009
In the southwestern United States, the state of Utah has a lion's share of spectacular national parks, including Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef and Zion. These parks are famous throughout the world for the grandeur of their scenery and their geological significance.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante Region
Several of these national parks are in or near an area known as the Grand Staircase-Escalante region, which includes a geological feature known as the "Grand Staircase," a vast formation of cliffs, slopes and terraces that extends from the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona to Bryce Canyon in southern Utah. In 1996, a separate, 1.7 million acre park was established and named Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
State Parks Offer Fascinating Features on a Smaller Scale
Visitors to the majestic national parks in Utah and to the national monument might be inclined to overlook nearby Utah state parks in or near the Grand Staircase-Escalante region. But Utah's state parks sometimes have intriguing characteristics of their own to fascinate the curious visitor. They can also be pleasant and convenient places to stay on the way from one national park to another.
Depending on the time of year, accommodations at these state parks can be less crowded than at the larger ones. Free hot showers are the norm and campsites sometimes include thoughtful features like sheltered picnic tables. Escalante Petrified Forest State Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park are two outstanding examples of Utah's state parks.
Dinosaur Bones and Petrified Trees
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is a 1,784 acre (7.2 square kilometers) park located 44 miles (71 kilometers) east of Bryce Canyon National Park. The park sits at an elevation of 5,800 feet (1,768 meters) above sea level. It contains the Wide Hollow Reservoir, fossilized dinosaur bones and a stunning display of petrified trees, some nearly five feet (1.5 meters) wide. Several trails traverse the park, offering many opportunities to observe the petrified forest, as well as views of the reservoir and surrounding landscape.
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is open year round. Visitors can camp on the shores of the reservoir and canoe rentals for boating on the reservoir are available in the park. Nearby attractions include the Grand Staircase National Monument, Capital Reef National Park and the Anasazi State Park Museum, an archeological site which, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, was the location of one of the largest communities of Pueblo Indians west of the Colorado River.
A Kaleidoscope of Colors and Unusual Rock Formations
Kodachrome Basin State Park was named by the National Geographic Society for the intense and changing colors of its beautiful landscape. It is 4000 acres (19.4 square kilometers) in size, 5,800 feet in elevation, and contains numerous sand pipes or chimneys measuring up to 171 feet (52 meters) high that protrude upward out of the ground into deep blue skies. According to the Park, geologists think that these pipes were created when ancient hot springs and geysers filled up with sediment, solidified and then the surrounding sandstone eroded over time.
Visitors can camp at tent sites or stay in cabins, hike, go horseback riding or mountain biking. Nearby attractions include Cedar Breaks National Monument, a high desert park with elevations up to 10,000 feet and bristlecone pine trees up to 1600 years old. There is also Grosvenor Arch, located 10 miles from Kodachrome. Kodachrome's Website describes this arch as "intricate" and "one of the most impressive" in the state.
More information about Escalante Petrified Forest State Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park, including hours, fees and reservations can be found on the State Parks Website of the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
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