We were only planning to drive through this park, but we ended up spending a fair amount of time exploring because of locking the keys in the car and because it was just plain nifty!!
The petrified trees were awesome, although I don't have any pictures of them on my phone to show here. For those who don't know anything about this park (like me before today), it used to be flood plains. When fallen trees from nearby forests washed into the flood plains, they settled to the bottom and were covered with layers of silt, sediment, and volcanic ash. This process sealed the trees and slowed decay. Over time, different minerals replaced the tree cell by cell, leaving multi-colored rocks in the exact shape, size, and texture of the original trees. Many of the rocks have broken apart, but in some places entire "trunks" are preserved.
Along with the amazing colors of these crystals, the park also has gorgeous blue, green, and purple buttes, as well as bright red, orange, pink, and yellow painted deserts. The colors are absolutely spectacular. I don't think even professional photography could capture the different shades and hues, but here are my few iPhone pics from the day to give you an idea.
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