Visitors to Petrified Forest National Park are invited to attend the special programs scheduled in the coming days. Living with the Land, an extended day hike offered through the Petrified Forest Field Institute, is scheduled on Saturday, May 7. An additional fee is required. Enjoy a guided adventure to explore the park’s geology, paleontology, history, flora and fauna, primarily with a hike to Onyx Bridge in the Black Forest, an unusual deposit of petrified wood that preserves several species of wood not found elsewhere in the park. Go online to http://www.petrifiedforestfieldinstitute.org/ for more information. An overnight meteor shower viewing event is slated at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, at Chinde Point. Enjoy the Eta Aquariids meteor shower event, which can deliver a meteor per minute hurtling into the Earth’s atmosphere at 41 miles per second! In addition, the park’s artist-in-residence, Frank Kraljic, will capture the night sky with astrophotography equipment. Free overnight, self-contained camping is available in the park at Chinde Point for this event. You must register prior to this event. Contact Kip Woolford by email at Kip_Woolford@nps.gov or phone at (928) 524-6228, ext. 273, before the day of the event to register and receive important information. Mother’s Day Wildflower Walks are planned at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 8. Meet the ranger at the Jasper Forest Overlook, then walk into Jasper Forest to see what wildflowers are in bloom. Allow 60 minutes for this half-mile walk. Bring a hat, sunscreen, water, snacks and sturdy footwear. Red Basin Clam Beds, an extended day hike offered through the Petrified Forest Field Institute, is scheduled on Sunday, May 8. An additional fee is required. On this guided field trip, learn about the area’s fascinating natural history and see firsthand the fragile environment protected here. This cross-country hike begins with a trek across shortgrass prairie, then enters a bizarre and beautiful badlands with petrified wood, fossilized beds of freshwater clams and a loop around an unnamed mesa. Go online to http://www.petrifiedforestfieldinstitute.org/ for more information. A Mercury viewing event is planned from 6 to 8 a.m. on Monday, May 9, at Gillespie Park in downtown Holbrook. Mercury, one of the most difficult planets to view, will be out in broad daylight–literally! The ranger will have a telescope equipped with a suitable solar filter to view tiny Mercury transiting across the Sun’s surface. Start your morning pondering the cosmos and learn what your national park is doing to become officially Dark Sky certified. Come have coffee with Ranger Kip. In addition, cultural demonstrators with ancestral ties to the area share engaging skills and traditions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at the Painted Desert Inn. Geocaching is available daily at selected locations throughout the park. Anyone with a GPS device can play! There are several geocaches at Petrified Forest National Park where a hidden container can be found and a logbook signed. For more information on geocaching, visit Geocaching.com. Junior Ranger programs are offered daily, offering youngsters an opportunity to explore, learn about and protect their national parks! Fun activities engage young visitors at Petrified Forest, and are rewarded with a badge and patch by finishing the appropriate number of activities. Pick up a booklet at any park visitor center. Tours of the Painted Desert Inn are offered anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily at the park. The inn is a beautiful building with rich history and stunning views to boot. Ask any staff member in the building to give you a brief, personal tour during your visit, and if they can, they will.
