Once a lush prehistoric floodplain, this area now contains one of the world's largest concentrations of petrified wood. Fossilized trees, exposed by erosion, shine with quartz, amethyst, and agate. Visitors can also see ancient Puebloan ruins, petroglyphs, and remnants of old Route 66- including a rusting 1932 Studebaker parked along the historic alignment. Designated a national monument in 1906 and later a national park in 1962, this landscape tells stories than span hundreds of millions of years.