MUSEUMS
last updated: 1/4/2012
Our list is arranged alphabetically by state name and city name. It includes museums, petrified forests, and other plant fossil localities open to the public in many US states. Included also is a brief list of petrified wood museums in other countries, and even a listing for a virtual museum! We have visited many of these institutions and sites and can recommend them for a visit, but in those cases where we have not visited and have indicated so in the notes, you will want to visit the linked website to decide if it is worth a visit. Please note that no collecting is allowed at any of the listed outdoor areas.
MUSEUMS IN THE UNITED STATES
Holbrook, Arizona PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK P.O. Box 2217, Petrified forest National Park, AZ 86028; telephone (928)524-6228. Fee charged for entry. Summer and winter hours differ. Check their website for current information:
While there is not much in the way of polished petrified wood in the museum at Rainbow Forest or at the Park Headquarters Visitor Center, this is the place to see the beautiful logs lying on the ground in their natural condition. It is, of course, simply spectacular and the incredible views are one of the reasons that Theodore Roosevelt named the Petrified Forest as the very first National Monument under the newly enacted Antiquities Act early in the 1900'S. A contributing factor was that people were hauling off some of the big logs and dynamiting others to see if they contained amethyst crystals (hardly any of them do).
Bakersfield, California BUENA VISTA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2018 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301; telephone (661)324-6350. Small fee charged for entry. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00PM. See their website for updates on their schedule of events:
This local museum has a very nice collection of petrified wood specimens with an emphasis on local Kern County, CA, specimens (perhaps most renowned for the palm root material from nearby Edison, CA). The BV Museum has a great deal of participation by members of the Kern County Gem and Mineral Society, an organization long known to have a LOT of petrified wood collectors, several of whom generously have contributed specimens to the BV Museum. In fact, if you are planning a trip to Bakersfield or vicinity, try to make it in the springtime to coincide with the Kern County Gem and Mineral Club’s annual show which always features spectacular displays of petrified wood. You can then take in both the club show and the BV Museum (and perhaps get in some local collecting as well)!
Calistoga, California THE PETRIFIED FOREST 4100 Petrified Forest Road, Calistoga, CA 94515; telephone (707)942-6667. Fee charged for entry. Open daily. Their website has directions and photos of the wood:
This petrified forest was developed as a roadside attraction almost a century ago. There are some very long logs, around which, the dirt has been excavated so that you can get an idea of the tremendous size. Logs are named with cutesy names like Monarch, Giant, etc. but the area is still tremendously interesting despite the “roadside attraction” character. It is definitely worth a visit.
Riverside, California THE WORLD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (on the campus of La Sierra University) 4700 Pierce Street, Riverside CA 92515; telephone (909)785-2101. Open on Saturdays from 2:00 to 5:00PM. No fee charged for entry. Check their website for current information and directions:
This is a small museum with a lot of petrified wood. Great collection of petrified Protoyucca (early Joshua Tree) is on permanent display along with some great specimens from mostly Western US localities.
Florissant, Colorado FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT 15807 Teller County 1, Florissant, CO 80816; telephone (719)748-3253. Open all year. Winter and summer hours are different. Fee charged for entry. Check their website for current information:
This National Park area is equally famous for its fossil insects as it is for the in-situ trunks of enormous sized Sequoia trees. They are really impressive to see in person. The museum concentrates more on the fossil insects than it does on the fossil plants but it is still a nicely done little museum. These are likely the largest diameter petrified trees that exist anywhere in the world. Be sure to take the park trail to see all the stumps, not just the ones adjacent to the visitor center.
New Haven, Connecticut YALE UNIVERSITY PEABODY MUSEUM 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut 06520; telephone (203)432-4771. Fee charged for entry. Open hours are M-S 10:00am to 5:00PM and Sunday noon to 5:00PM. Go to the following Yale Office of Public Affairs website and type "Petrified Wood" into the search engine (upper right corner) and select "Yale University" for the search to get more information:
The Peabody established a new permanent exhibit entitled “Rainbows in Stone” in the Autumn of 2003. I have not visited recently but it appears from the website page that it consists primarily of Chinle Formation (like the Petrified Forest National Park) specimens. It also looks like they may be spectacular --in the typical tradition of the Peabody!
Flora, Mississippi MISSISSIPPI PETRIFIED FOREST 124 Forest Park Road, Flora, MS 39071; telephone (601)879-8189. Open year around. Fee charged for entry. Summer and winter hours differ. See their website for details:
A very nicely done trail through an ancient forest now petrified. There is also a small museum in the visitor center with a wide variety of petrified wood specimens from other localities throughout the world. Privately owned. The staff also manages a campground on the site.
Ogallala, Nebraska PETRIFIED WOOD GALLERY 525 East First Street, Ogallala NE 69153; telephone (308)284-9996. Spring, summer and fall hours vary. Generally closed in winter except by appointment. Small entry fee. Check their website for current information:
This is a museum of the lifelong collection of twin brothers Harvey and Howard Kenfield. It is housed in a small but very nicely done museum in downtown Ogallala. The twins have a very good eye for aesthetics and have amassed a fine collection of which they are justly proud. It is definitely worth a detour if you are anywhere in the vicinity of Western Nebraska.
Las Cruces, New Mexico ZUHL COLLECTION (at the Alumni and Visitors Center on the campus of University of New
Mexico at Las Cruces) 775 College Drive, Las Cruces NM 99003 telephone (505)646-3616. Also on this Campus be sure
to visit the ZUHL LIBRARY, telephone (505)646-5792. Visitor Center hours are Monday - Friday from 8am until 5 PM
(except holidays). Library hours vary with school year - check before visiting. No fee charged for entry. A small sample
of the wonderful collection can be seen on the following websites:
This University Alumni Visitor Center houses the incredible Zuhl collection of petrified wood (and a few other geologic artifacts
as well). There are slabs and logs of all sizes. The Zuhl library (just 4 blocks away from the visitor center) houses a
fabulous collection of large slabs and logs of petrified wood which are artfully placed around the three floors of library
shelves and sitting areas.
The material on display in both buildings are some of the best large (24 inch plus) slices of petrified wood to be seen
anywhere. Even the "smaller pieces" tend to be larger than what is normally seen on the market for specimens from
their individual localities. All of this material has been donated by Herb Zuhl, founder of Russell-Zuhl Galleries in New
York City. He has a remarkable eye for aesthetics in petrified wood and he likes BIG pieces. Don’t miss it.
Ithaca, New York THE MUSEUM OF THE EARTH
(at the Paleontological Research Institution)
1259 Trumansburg Road, Route 96, Ithaca, NY 14850; telephone (607)273-6623.
Open every day in summer and closed one day weekly in Winter. Fee charged for entry.
Check their award winning website for current information and directions on how to get
there:
This museum has an extensive collection of petrified wood and other paleobotanical
specimens (in addition to extensive collections of all kinds of other fossils as well).
Petrified wood is generally not represented extensively in the permanent exhibit,
but a special exhibit entitled "Missing the Forest for the Trees," which featured petrified
wood closed in January 2009. Hopefully there will be others!
Bill Klose (shown at right with Jim at PRI in October 2008) is a research volunteer at
The Museum of the Earth, and donor extraordinaire to this great museum.
Medora, North Dakota THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK (in the North Dakota Badlands) Box 7 Medora, ND 58645; telephone (701)623-4466. Fee charged for entry. The park is open all year. See their website for current information:
The badlands have substantial deposits of petrified wood and the park visitor center can provide information on the best trails to take for viewing them.
Central Point, Oregon CRATER ROCK MUSEUM (owned and operated by the Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society) 2002 Scenic Ave, Central Point, OR 97502; (541)664-6081. Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00.p.m. No fee charged for entry. Special events are announced on their website:
Every rock club should have a museum like this! Loads of petrified wood on permanent display and it is really top quality. I never go through this part of Oregon without planning a stop at the Crater Rock Museum. They are about to undergo expansion with the addition of a major mineral collection. In addition to petrified wood, they have one of the finest displays in the world of Fairfield (Clay County, Utah) variscite.
Hillsboro, Oregon RICE NORTHWEST MUSEUM OF ROCKS AND MINERALS 26385 NW Groveland Drive, Hillsboro, OR 97124; telephone(503)647-2418. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Fee charged for entry. Check their website for current updates:
This is one of the bigger permanent displays of petrified wood from worldwide localities that one can visit. It is worth a special trip! In addition to an extensive collection of petrified wood on display, there are also mineral specimens (including Northwest USA gold) that are spectacular. Also, the Rice Museum has one of the best and most comprehensive collections of thundereggs that we have ever seen!
Kimberly, Oregon JOHN DAY FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT 32651 Highway 19, Kimberley, OR; telephone (541)987-2333. Open all year (visitor centers closed on some holidays). Check their website for updated information:
There are three separate units in this National Monument. The main visitor center at Sheep Rock Unit has a nice assemblage of nuts out of the Clarno Formation along with good interpretive geology at the Condon Paleontology Museum (see below) about the entire park (encompassing the Clarno, John Day, Mascall and Rattlesnake Formations). The Painted Hills Unit contains the site of the famous Bridge Creek Flora and the Clarno Unit has interesting logs preserved in volcanic ash lahars.
THOMAS CONDON MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY, Sheep Rock Unit, John Day
Fossil Beds National Monument, John Day, Oregon.(on Highway 19 between the towns of Dayville and
Kimberly). Open daily, year round except for federal holidays between Thanksgiving and Presidents Day.
Hours vary by season. Check website for specific hours:
This excellent museum opened in 2005 and offers informative exhibits about paleo-finds in and around
the John Day area. Some of the more impressive paleobotanical specimens on display are the composites,
many of which bear wood, seeds, nuts and cones, all closely situated on prepared matrix. A wrap-
around mural takes visitors on a journey through eight time periods ranging from about 5 million to 45
million years ago, when climate change and volcanic eruptions continually transformed the region's plants,
animals and landscape. An engaging museum and a "must-do" if you're in eastern Oregon!
Portland, Oregon WORLD FORESTRY CENTER DISCOVERY MUSEUM in Portland's
Washington Park at 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, OR 97221; telephone (503)228-1367.
Open all year but closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving. Fee charged for entrance.
Check their website for more information:
An excellent place to visit to learn all about the life cycle of trees and wood.
The museum also includes many specimens of petrified wood from the collection
of the late Jim Burnett. Jim was a dealer in petrified wood for many years and had
some really lovely pieces which are now on display at the World Forestry Center.
Redmond, Oregon PETERSON ROCK GARDENS 7930 S.W. 77th Street, Redmond, OR 97756; telephone (541)382-5574. Open 365 days per year but hours vary between winter and summer and also vary for indoor museum and outdoor exhibit. Donation at the gate is requested. I don’t know if the attraction maintains its own website but more information and some photos can be accessed through the following:
This is not so much a petrified wood museum as it is a lifelong effort at folk art by Rasmus Peterson who constructed the rockery on his farm between 1935 and 1952. Petrified wood is just one of many native Oregon rock materials used but there is quite a bit of it! The farm is still owned by Mr. Peterson’s descendents. Quite campy but a lot of fun for the petrified wood enthusiast.
Lemmon, South Dakota PETRIFIED WOOD PARK AND MUSEUM 500 Main Avenue, Lemmon, SD 57638; telephone (605)374-5716. No fee charged for admission to either the park or the museum. The park is open year around and the Museum is open in the summer (mid-May to mid-September) only. See their website (misspelling is theirs, unfortunately) for information and photographs of the park:
This is more of a fascinating story about folk art and human compassion than it is about geology (although there is a lot of petrified wood in the park and museum to be seen). The park was developed during the Great Depression as a personal effort by one man to provide work to the local unemployed population. The story of Mr. O.S. Quammen is well told on the website. I have not visited this locality but certainly will go out of my way to do so the next time I am in the Dakotas!
Piedmont, South Dakota PETRIFIED FOREST OF THE BLACK HILLS 8228 Elk Creek Road Piedmont, SD 57769; telephone (605)787-4560. There is very sparse information on their website:
I have not visited this locality but the web site says it was opened as a roadside attraction in 1929 (must have been an interesting way to start the Great Depression!)
Houston, Texas HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE one Herman Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030; telephone (713)639-4629. Open seven days a week. Fee charged for entry. See their website for current hours and special exhibits:
This major institution has none to little petrified wood on permanent display but the Houston Museum owns a fabulous collection of large slabs donated by Herb Zuhl (see Las Cruces, NM entry above for more on Mr. Zuhl’s collection) and displays a portion of it every couple of years as a special exhibit. Meanwhile, one can browse the collection on a CD sold by the Houston Gem and Mineral Society as “Publication No. 8, The Zuhl collection of American Petrified Wood at the Houston Museum of Natural Science”. This CD, featuring 500 images of 208 identified pieces of petrified wood, can be purchased by visiting their website at
http://www.hgms.org
Escalante, Utah ESCALANTE STATE PARK (at the Escalante Petrified Forest) 710 North Reservoir Road, Escalante, UT 84726; telephone (435)826-4466. Entry fee. Open daily (park has an overnight campground). See their website for current information:
This is one of the classic rock hounding localities that provided tons of lapidary and specimen quality material before being added to the Utah State Park system. Collecting is no longer allowed but the place is still worth a long visit for the petrified wood enthusiast. Only a small museum here but the real sights to be seen are on the park trails. There is a three quarter loop “Trail of Sleeping Rainbows” which is accessed off of the one mile “Petrified Forest Trail”. In fact, the Sleeping Rainbows Trails is the heart of the petrified wood deposits and contains thousands of large logs weighing millions of tons. The trail is a bit steep but definitely worthwhile. We found the park staff to be exceptionally friendly and helpful.
Vantage, Washington GINKGO PETRIFIED FOREST STATE PARK located just north of I-90 at Vantage. Telephone (509)856-2700. Entry fee or annual parks pass required. Open every day in summer but weekends and holidays only in winter. See website for summer or winter season dates and hours:
In addition to the hikes to see big petrified logs still in the ground, there is a nice little museum with a display of petrified wood typical of the area. The park was named because a small quantity of Ginkgo petrified wood was found, not because there is a lot of Ginkgo wood there. The genus is VERY RARE in the petrified wood record (although it is quite common as leaf imprints in sedimentary strata).
MUSEUMS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Miles, Queensland, Australia MILES HISTORICAL MUSEUM located on the east end of the village on
Murilla Street. Telephone (07) 4627 1492. Entry fee required. Open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 PM.
This museum has a separate building housing the 50+ year collecting effort of Norman Donpon (shown right
at the museum) of Meandarra, Queensland. Mr. Donpon was one of
the featured collectors in Ulrich Dernbach’s book “Petrified Forests."
You simply will not see a better display anywhere of petrified Australian
Osmundaceae, Pentoxylons, Araucariaceae and related species.
There are over 5000 geological specimens on display
(over 3000 of them petrified wood) and they are simply
the best in the world of the species from the Miles,
Wandoan, Chinchilla region of Queensland. We spent an
entire day there with Norman and it was not enough time to
really stand and stare at the incredible specimens!
If your second love after petrified wood is agate, the collection
of Agate Creek, Queensland agates contained in the Miles
Historical Museum display is really superb.
Chemnitz, Germany MUSEUM FUR NATURKUNDE - CHEMNITZ recently relocated to das
Tietz building in downtown Chemnitz. At Moritzstrasse 20. Telephone (0049) (0) 371-488 4551.
Entry fee required. Open M/Tu/Th/F from 10 am to 8 PM. Open Sa/Su/holidays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed on Wednesday. For website homepage (in German language only) see:
Chemnitz is one of the earliest localities where paleobotany began to develop into a science.
The strata is Permian and the woods are Dadoxylon and Psaronius (plus numerous much more
rare species). The new museum, on the second floor in das Tietz is well-planned, well-interpreted
and filled with exhibits that make you want to rush right out and start digging up the streets (the only
place where petrified wood can be found today is in trenches being dug in streets for public utilities)!
In addition, the museum often has special exhibits (there were the most amazing cones on display
during our visit) plus a historical document and photograph collection relating to the earliest
paleobotanist/curators of the museum. If your Germany travels take you anywhere within
100 kilometers of Chemnitz, you should detour to see this museum. Immediately upon entering
das Tietz, you see a dozen petrified trees in upright position in the center of the lobby (some soaring
upward 40 feet) and then you know you are in the right place!
MUSEUM ON THE WEB
THE VIRTUAL PETRIFIED WOOD MUSEUM
Here's a museum you can visit from the comfort of your
own computer chair. Mike Viney (seen at right in
Yellowstone National Park) has initiated a museum with
excellent petrified wood specimens and some relevant
information about them. You can visit defined periods of
geologic time or just browse through the many pages of
photos and text. The site is still being fleshed out so visit
often to see new material and learn new and interesting
facts.
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