Ginkgo State Park Petrified Wood tour

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 What:  This is the birth place of Chief Moses according to my research. The restricted areas here are because of the old villages found by Archeologists. Most sites are under water now. Major geological incidents. The museum is only open on weekends during the winter, but everyday during summer. The Interpretive Trail and hiking trail is open to you whenever. The official gemstone of the state of Washington is Petrified Wood. One of the best exhibits of petrified wood exists here. The interpretive trail hosts 20 odd specimens of large petrified logs of Spruce, Douglas Fir, Elm, Oak, Sweet Gum, and of course Ginkgo. A cat called Bandit (all black with gold eyes) is known for taking you on the interpretive trail. Even though there was no one else around the site at all when we were there in December, the cat marched us around the one mile route like it was its job. There are lots of trails for mountain bikes which should be accessible even in the depths of winter. I will report on this more when I can explore this area more by bike. Petrification. An interesting resort with more info about this area. See Ginkgo Petroglyphs. Debbie the ranger has been at this place since she was 14 years old. She is a wealth of information and a very nice person. Buy a ginkgo tree while you are there for your home. See their website for more Info:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Ginkgo&pageno=1

For information, call the park at 509-856-2700 or email them at: ginkgo@kvalley.com


 Where:  From Spokane take I90 West to Vantage at the Columbia River which is about a 2 hour drive. Take the Vantage exit and since there is only one road here it is fairly hard to get lost. Go north through town and look on the right for the sign to both the museum and the Interpretive trails which is down the road a mile from the museum. The gem shop might be of interest if you want to purchase things. More details.

 Cautions:  In winter a shell layer is required to ward off the winds.

 List:  Water, binoculars, picnic. Email Us