These rocks are igneous in nature, thus supporting the theory of a volcano creating the Petrified Forest. The hours of operation are from 10am to 5pm in the winter, and 10am to 6pm in the summer months. On Sunday afternoons at 2pm, or by special arrangements for large group, and weather permitting, we offer a 1-hour meadow walk that begins on a small path leading it way through the live trees and brush. The dominant trees are Douglas Fir, Coast live oak, Valley Oak, Madrone and Manzanita along with Ceonothus bushes, which are a common ground cover. The animals you might see range from the smallest shrews, red tail squirrels, opossums, skunk, gopher snakes, king snakes, and the occasional mountain lion, which roams at night.
Many birds make the park a yearlong home, attracting many birdwatchers to our neck of the woods.
Calistoga, the closest town, offers shopping, mud baths, mineral baths, swimming and a small town atmosphere that attracts a large number of visitors looking for a place to relax. Both Napa and Sonoma Valleys are known world wide for the wines that are made here. The wineries in both valleys offer tours and tasting throughout the year. With all these attractions in the area, and the beauty of the landscape, we can estimate that approximately 80,000 visitors walk through the forest each year. Many of our visitors go canoeing on the Russian River, beach combing on the Sonoma coast of the Pacific Ocean, hiking in the many state parks such as The Armstrong Redwood Reserve, The Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Bothe State Park, Sugarloaf State Park, Jack London State Park.