31 Bucket List National Parks That Are Surprisingly Underrated

By

Akanksha Sharma

June 2, 2025

18. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona): Triassic Treasures and Painted Desert

The Tepees in Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona, United States. View is toward the northwest from the main park road. According to a National Park Service (NPS) document, rock strata exposed in the Tepees area of the park belong to th. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons @Finetooth

Step back millions of years in this unique park protecting one of the world's largest concentrations of colorful petrified wood. Hike trails winding amongst rainbow-hued fossilized logs, marvel at the multi-colored badlands of the Painted Desert stretching towards the horizon from viewpoints like Kachina Point, and explore ancient petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock. Easily accessible off I-40, it's often treated as a quick stop but rewards longer exploration of its unique geology, paleontology, and archaeological history spanning millennia.

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