Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park, Paleontological site in Kittitas County, United States.
Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park covers 7,124 acres on the western shore of the Columbia River's Wanapum Reservoir at Vantage, Washington. The park protects petrified wood from trees buried in volcanic ash about 15.5 million years ago, with over 50 species identified, including ginkgo, sweetgum, redwood, Douglas-fir, walnut, spruce, elm, maple, horse chestnut, cottonwood, magnolia, madrone, sassafras, yew, and witch hazel.
Geologists began excavations in 1927 following discoveries of petrified wood in the area. These efforts resulted in the park's establishment and opening to the public in 1938 to preserve the findings.
The Wanapum Native American tribe inhabited this region, using exposed petrified wood to craft tools and welcoming settlers during Lewis and Clark expeditions.
The Trees of Stone Interpretive Trail has two loops, 1.5 and 2.5 miles, passing 22 petrified log species left where they were found in the 1930s. The park also has 27,000 feet of Columbia River shoreline with swimming and boating access and camping facilities.
The park's museum specimens were collected by Frank Walter Bobo, a self-described "desert rat" born in California on 4 March 1894 who dug petrified logs from the hills of Kittitas and Yakima counties. Paid partly in kind, he kept half of what he prepared; his son Don J. Bobo later inherited about one ton of petrified wood.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,784 contributors worldwide.
