Montage of Washington State Park scenes
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Interpretation and history at Ginkgo Petrified Forest/Wanapum Recreational Area

History

The park is home to the Vantage Forest, one of the most diverse groups of petrified wood species in North America. Professor George Beck was the first to fully recognize the site’s significance. Upon his 1932 discovery of a rare petrified Ginkgo log (Ginkgo biloba), Beck led efforts to “set aside this remarkable forest and preserve it.” In 1935, as part of a grand vision to establish the site as a National Monument, Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park was born.

During the midst of the Great Depression, emergency work relief funds were used to protect and develop the park. Between 1934 and 1938, Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees, as well as local emergency work relief laborers, built much of the park infrastructure we see today, including ranger residences, an interpretive center, and a trail-side museum and trail system. In 1965, the park was formally registered as a National Natural Landmark.

Construction of the Wanapum Dam in 1963 silenced the waters of the adjacent Columbia River. To enhance public access, state park management was expanded in 1974, and most recently in 2012, to provide overnight and day-use facilities along the shores of the Wanapum Reservoir.

Interpretive opportunities

The park features three interpretive areas.

The Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Center offers spectacular views of the Columbia River, Sentinel Gap and surrounding Ice Age flood-carved basalt landscape. Indoor exhibits tell the geologic story of the Vantage Petrified Forest and display one of the most diverse petrified wood collections in North America. Admission is by donation.

The “Trees of Stone” Interpretive Trailhead, located two miles west of the interpretive center, guides you through an ancient fossil bed with nearly two-dozen petrified logs exposed along this one-mile loop trail. Along the trail you also will find ice-rafted erratics remaining from Ice Age floodwaters thousands of years ago.

The Cove Recreation Area, located one-and-a-half miles south of the Wanapum campground, offers a half-mile, self-guided interpretive trail along Johnston Creek.

For more information regarding tours and programs, call the park at (509) 856-2700.