Ginkgo Petrified Forest

Considered one of the most diverse fossil forests in North America, Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is famous for the rare specimens of petrified Ginkgo biloba tree discovered there in the late 1920s.

Drive to the park overlook and take in the big skies, Columbia River views and outdoor exhibits of petrified wood. Look for evidence of Ice Age floods carved into the walls of the Columbia River Gorge. Then step inside the Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Center. Not only is it air-conditioned, the museum features at least 20 varieties of petrified wood, including a shiny black slice of an ancient gum tree.