Petrified Forest National Park - Chambers, AZ

Rating:

When to go:

Year Round

Where to stay:

Belle, Black Rock, Cottonwood, Hidden Valley
Indian Cove, Jumbo Rocks, Ryan, Sheep Pass
and White Tank Campgrounds
(between $10 - 15/night)

What to Do:

• Drive up to Keys View
• Play on the big rocks
• or Climb them if you like that sort of thing
• Hike the Cholla Cactus Forest

My Two cents:

I'm not sure why, but hippies seem to have the run of this place, which is fine by me.

This park is another extremely unique geographic landmark in the US. Joshua Trees have sprung out of the ground all over the place, and with nearly the same frequency large boulders lay atop the ground. I thoroughly enjoyed scrambling about the rocks. If you have the gear and the know-how there are rocks of nearly every difficulty level for the climbing as well. If you don't have the gear and/or know how you can easily find an outfitter to take you into the park and get you going on your first ascent.

Although unique, this park is one more that falls into the "worth a day" category. Obviously, if you live in the vicinity it's well worth frequenting, but if you're passing through and want to take in the highlights before you move onto the next place, a day is more than adequate. If you're like me, and want to hang out at the local library and sleep at the local walmart, you can do that too.