Petrified Trees in Yellowstone National Park

Petrified Trees

Yellowstone has more than a dozen petrified forests.

Plan Around Petrified Trees

A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.

Add to tripView park guide

Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.

Petrified Trees Details

This ridgeline alone the edge of the Lamar Valley is a remnant of an ancient ash deposit and contains a wide variety of petrified trees, which were encased and preserved in the ash. Specimen Ridge contains more than a dozen petrified forests, which you can reach via a 1.5-mile hiking trail. Some of the trees were fossilized where they stood more than 50 million years ago, with even their root systems preserved. The 17-mile long Specimen Ridge Trail follows a challenging route along the ridgeline, across Amethyst Mountain to Soda Butte Creek.

Difficulty

Low

Distance

N/A

Estimated time

Region

Northeast Entrance

Nearby Parks Around Petrified Trees

Compare nearby parks around Petrified Trees when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.

36.3 mi away

Yellowstone

National Park · WY

89.1 mi away

Grand Teton

National Park · WY

303.8 mi away

Glacier

National Park · MT

354.9 mi away

Theodore Roosevelt

National Park · ND

396.5 mi away

Rocky Mountain

National Park · CO

422.0 mi away

Badlands

National Park · SD

Nearby Points of Interest Around Petrified Trees

Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Petrified Trees while the map context is still fresh.

1.8 mi away

Lamar Canyon

One of Yellowstone's wolf packs has settled here.

2.4 mi away

Slough Creek Trail

This scenic trail follows a historic wagon trail through a backdrop of mix fir forests and rolling grasslands.

2.7 mi away

Bannock Ford

A site along the Yellowstone River that was used by the Bannock Indians as they moved through the area.

2.8 mi away

Slough Creek Campground

A small generator-free campground located 2.5 miles down a dirt-road along the banks of Slough Creek.

3.2 mi away

Tower Fall Trail

Named for the "towers" of stone left from ancient volcanic peaks.