National park
State park · Southern Utah
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
A reservoir and campground just outside the town of Escalante, with a trail past colorful logs of petrified wood.
Photo: Mramoeba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The park’s Petrified Forest Trail climbs a mesa above Wide Hollow Reservoir to logs of petrified wood in red, yellow and purple. A shorter Sleeping Rainbows Trail loops past even more colorful pieces.
Wide Hollow Reservoir offers paddling and fishing, and the campground is a comfortable base for exploring the Escalante canyons and Scenic Byway 12.
Don't miss
- Petrified Forest TrailA loop past large logs of colorful petrified wood.
- Sleeping Rainbows TrailA steeper spur with some of the best wood.
- Wide Hollow ReservoirPaddling and fishing, with canoe rentals in season.
- CampgroundA base for exploring the Escalante canyons.
Good to know
- Do not take petrified wood. It is illegal and, legend says, bad luck.
- Combine with Lower Calf Creek Falls and Highway 12.
- Book campsites early in spring and fall.