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Petrified Forest National Park - Day Trip from Sedona

Episode 34 of our Sedona Meditation Adventures Video Series

· Meditation Video,Sedona Activities

A Meditative Day Trip to a High Desert Jewel

If you have time to explore northern Arizona, a fantastic day trip from Sedona is the Petrified Forest National Park. It is about a two and a half hour drive that takes you through Flagstaff, Winslow, and across wide open, beautiful high desert terrain.

The park takes its name from the petrified remains of an ancient forest. Millions of years ago, the wood from the ancient conifer forest fossilized, which means that it turned to stone. What look like long logs laying on the ground are actually log-shaped rocks, usually broken into pieces like so many toppled Greek pillars.

The remains of the tree’s bark still has the look of regular tree bark, but when you touch you, it is solid rock as is the rest of the once-wood. Petrified wood can be extremely colorful with a myriad of bright colors revealing the presence of various minerals.

The Petrified Forest is situated in a breathtakingly gorgeous expanse called the Painted Desert. Every bit as dreamy as it’s name, the Painted Desert is a forever landscape of soft earthy colors set against a brilliant blue sky.

If you enjoy hiking, you’ll have fun on the wilderness trails in the park. Though there are some shorter and more defined trails, the wilderness trails are not marked. You are free to wander or follow the GPS coordinates to visit native American pictographs, other-worldly landscapes, and – of course - caches of petrified logs.

And it is gloriously quiet which is lovely for meditation!

The Petrified Forest National Park is a worthy day from Sedona. Bring a lunch, water, and plan to make a day of it. You won’t have any trouble finding a quiet and private spot to do a meditation.

You can join me in this week’s Sedona Meditation Adventure and get graph text here.