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Utah State Parks

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USA Parks
Utah
Southern Region
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
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Escalante Petrified Forest State Park © Andrey Zharkikh from Salt Lake City, USA / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The complete petrified tree is on display in Escalante Pertified Forest State Park, Utah.
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park © Andrey Zharkikh from Salt Lake City, USA / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Escalante Pertified Forest State Park, Utah.
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park © Aneta Kaluzna Qbek / CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Large piece of petrified wood in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park in Utah, USA
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park © Mramoeba / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Petrified wood in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park © Gary OToole
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ESCALANTE PETRIFIED FOREST STATE PARK
ESCALANTE PETRIFIED FOREST STATE PARK
710 Reservoir Road
Escalante, Utah   84726
(lat:37.7865 lon:-111.6307) map location

Phone: 435-826-4466
Reservations: 435-826-4466
Camp along the shores of Wide Hollow Reservoir, or rent a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. Hike along park nature trails through a petrified forest. Some say the petrified wood may be haunted and removing a piece could bring the taker bad luck.
History of the Area
In 1872, a member of John Wesley Powells survey party, Almon Harris Thompson, first explored the Escalante River. He decided to name the area after an explorer named Escalante, which means to escalate upward, like stair steps, which describes the plateaus surrounding the park.

In 1954, Wide Hollow Reservoir was constructed to provide irrigation for the town of Escalante. The reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout and bluegill and is popular for water sports.

A visitor center was built in 1991 and features petrified wood, petrified dinosaur bones, ammonite, and shell fossils.

Visitors will enjoy several trails, which wind throughout the park. The Petrified Forest Trail is a one-mile loop, winding through lava flows and thousands of pieces of petrified wood. The Sleeping Rainbows trail is an optional .75-mile loop off the Petrified Forest Trail. This section is much steeper and requires scrambling and climbing over rocks.

In the fall of 2014, they added a 50 ft petrified tree. The entire tree can be viewed from its roots to the tip. it is accessible to all visitors.

Opened to the public as a state park in 1976.
FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW
Day-UseFishingyes
 Hiking Trailyes
BoatingLaunch Rampsyes
CampingPrimitiveyes
 Water/Electric Sitesyes
 Full Hookup Sitesyes


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Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is


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Utah State Parks

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