Day 27: Petrified Forest National Park - Holbrook, Arizona

Day 27: Homolovi State Park, Winslow Arizona through Petrified Forest National Park then on to Holbrook, Arizona

• Miles: ~56 miles
• Left: 9:30 AM, Arrived Petrified Forest NP: 10:30AM, Holbrook KOA: 4:30PM
• Weather: Sunny, Highs in the mid 80's, Lows 30's

We woke up before 6AM for showers & to get all packed up.  Steve had 3 nights of clear skies for his astrophotography.  We were on the road to Petrified Forest National Park by 9:30AM & arrived at 10:30AM.  We entered at the Northern entrance & stopped at the visitor center for our stamps & stickers.  We decided to tow our camper through the park since there were plenty of RV parking at all but 2 of the stops. This was a terrible idea since the roads through the park were so bad & it was pretty aggravating for Steve. It was both a great & terrible experience.  The park was amazing, towing the camper was terrible. The park road from the North to the South entrance was 28 miles plus a ~4 mile loop off to the side.  There were several official stops plus lots of turnouts along the side of the road.  

Sammie was also having a rough day so we had to make several potty stops for her.  We took the pups on two walks with the stroller but decided to leave them in the truck for the remaining stops with the AC running.  Love that I can monitor the truck via the Ford app to make sure it is still running.  

The park geology was so interesting.  The petrified trees were ~ 200 million years old! Such an amazing place.  Arizona is such a neat state & so different from what we are used to although it is probably pretty miserable in the summer here.  

We spent several hours in the park, stopping at least briefly at each stop that had RV parking.  We had lunch at one of the side of the road turn offs. At the end of the 28 mile park road, Steve made a wrong turn out of the Southern visitor center so we had to do an extra 10+ miles in bumpy roads. That made his day....not. He was trying so hard not to have a melt down.  

Petrified Forest NP - We visited all of the Arizona National Parks

Petroglyphs

Lunch time Mesa views

Along the dried river bed are what looks to be rocks but they are petrified tree stumps!

Petrified Trees!

He got the long lens out!

~220 Million Years Ago!

Belle sleeping on Sammie trying to help her feel better

He will never get through all the photos he took on this trip!

Crystal Forest

Crystal Forest

Crystal Forest

We got to the Holbrook KOA by 4:30PM.  I reserved a wide pull through with full hooks & a dog pen. It was the most expensive site we stayed at the entire trip but worth it.  Don’t think the dogs enjoyed the dog pen as much at Kamp K9 but it was easier for me. I completely forgot to take photos of the campsite but it was big by KOA standards!

For dinner, I ate a container of hummus & toasted lavish. It was so good. I shared a bit with Steve.  I did a couple of loads of laundry - the laundry room was busy!  $2 for wash, $1 for dry.  Spent the rest of the evening cleaning up & had a quiet night at camp.  The campground was quiet overnight.  

• Lodging: Holbrook KOA
• KOA - $80/night with discount
• Rating 4/5
• Gravel sites
• Campsite: 84
• $80 / night with KOA discount
• Full hook ups, pull through with a dog pen
• Quiet overnight
• Road conditions: Good
• Clean bathrooms & showers  - Hot water, good water pressure