Contact Petrified Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest National Park, AZ 86028 (tel. 928/524-6228; www.nps.gov/pefo). The Petrified Forest Museum Association, P.O. Box 2277, Petrified Forest, AZ 86028 (tel. 928/524-6228, ext. 239; www.cybertrails.com/~pfma) publishes several excellent books on the park. Written by retired geology professor Sidney Ash, Petrified Forest: The Story Behind the Scenery provides a good overview of the human and natural history of the park. Stephen Trimble's colorful book, Earth Journey: A Road Guide to Petrified Forest, is almost as good as a guided tour of the park's scenic drive.
For information about area lodging and dining, contact the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce, 100 E. Arizona St., Holbrook, AZ 86025 (tel. 800/524-2459 or 928/524-6558; www.azjournal.com).
The park has a visitor center at each end. Both sell books, videos, and area maps, and offer free brochures on the park's geology, flora, and fauna.
The Painted Desert Visitor Center, outside the park's north entrance gate, offers a 20-minute video on the park, which shows on the hour and the half hour. Two miles north of the park's south entrance station, the Rainbow Forest Museum has displays on the formation of petrified wood, fossilized bones and teeth of ancient animals, and a display of letters from people who stole wood from the park and later regretted it.
