The formations and sensations of Petrified Forest are as foreign to me as the surface of the moon was to its explorers. Likely nowhere else will people so easily find colors, textures, and history unbounded like they will at this park. The desert is a hostile, ruthless place- but nowhere else is its vibrancy on better display than at Petrified Forest National Park. No single word can encapsulate its being.

I was extremely fortunate to be able to explore this park conducting bird surveys with a research permit, allowing me to go where few feet fall. Most of the locations seen in these photos are off-trail, inaccessible to the public.