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Ganesh Raam
WorkWild
Park · Arizona · Colorado Plateau

Petrified Forest

What makes it unique

A gated park on a high windswept plateau, which means the operating constraint is the closing time rather than the season — you rarely get to shoot the actual golden hour here.

Acreage221,390
National park since1962
Best lightMar, Oct
Visited2022
Terrain profile · W→E across the Painted Desert · 34.955°N · 5,259–5,482 ftElevation data · Open-Meteo

The photographs

13 selects
Painted Desert, Petrified ForestPainted Desert28mm · f/9 · 1/125s · ISO 50Painted Desert Badlands, Petrified ForestPainted Desert Badlands28mm · f/13 · 1/80s · ISO 50Route 66 Studebaker, Petrified ForestRoute 66 Studebaker40mm · f/16 · 1/15s · ISO 50Along Old Route 66, Petrified ForestAlong Old Route 6657mm · f/16 · 1/40s · ISO 50Banded Hills, Petrified ForestBanded Hills75mm · f/16 · 1/100s · ISO 50Badlands in Late Light, Petrified ForestBadlands in Late Light28mm · f/14 · 1/40s · ISO 50Logs in the Badlands, Petrified ForestLogs in the Badlands75mm · f/9 · 1/100s · ISO 50Petrified Log, Petrified ForestPetrified Log61mm · f/9 · 1/100s · ISO 50Badlands and Logs, Petrified ForestBadlands and Logs75mm · f/7.1 · 1/200s · ISO 50Blue Mesa, Petrified ForestBlue Mesa75mm · f/7.1 · 1/60s · ISO 50Banded Mound, Petrified ForestBanded Mound28mm · f/7.1 · 1/320s · ISO 50Moon over the Badlands, Petrified ForestMoon over the Badlands75mm · f/6.3 · 1/320s · ISO 50Fallen Giants, Petrified ForestFallen Giants68mm · f/7.1 · 1/100s · ISO 50
Field notes

If you go

From Parks by Month →
A · When to go

Best for photography in Mar, Oct.

photography
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B · Before you go
Access

The park gates close around sunset and open after sunrise; check current seasonal hours, because they move. Backcountry overnight permits buy you the light the day-use gates do not.

Avoid

June through August is hot, hazy and thunderstorm-prone, and the badlands colour goes flat in overhead sun.

C · How I shot it

13 of 13 frames on the Tamron 28–75mm.

Tamron 28–75mm F2.813 of 13
Most used75mm · 5 frames
Typical aperturef/7.1 – f/14
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