Black Hills Petrified Forest

This place is amazing! Being a rock lover the petrified wood was so cool to see. We were lucky enough to have a little bit of rain when we visited and it made the petrified wood so beautiful!!! The museum is done with great detail and the trail is easy to walk. We were allowed to take our dogs which was nice. It is so cool that this place was opened almost 100 years ago 1929. Will definitely be back with grandchildren!

What a hidden gem! I wouldn’t necessarily call it a tourist attraction but a natural educational stop. The new owner is very personable and took the time to answer my grandson’s many questions. The hike through the petrified forest was fun and beautiful! The number of stones and gems available for purchase is vast. Also a great little museum.

Very interesting and fun place to spend an afternoon. The intro movie was interesting to watch, could almost say this would be a good school outing event for Geology. Oh and it’s like 90 degrees now so we brought water for the dogs and us too.

This place was very laid back and very informative! If you are a rock hunter and looking for an enjoyable outdoor walk, the trees will be waiting for you. There is an amazing view over the neighboring valley that makes this so much more enjoyable.

Really cool attraction with some amazing views. Lots of points of interest along the short hiking trail through the forest. Map has short descriptions for numbered items along the trail. Uneven ground is fairly easy to navigate but path is unfinished and rough, might be difficult for those with mobility issues. Gift shop at the beginning and cute little rock store at the end.

Great Mom and Pop museum. Very informative, great views while walking.

If you're interested in petrified wood and how it's created, this place is awesome. There's a short film you watch before you start your hike through the forest that explains how petrification happens. The actual hike is awesome, there's so many large pieces of petrified wood. The shop at the end is a bit confusing, and when I went there was no one there so to purchase what I wanted I had to go back to where you purchase tickets, but it was no issue. I tell everyone about this place just because of how cool it was to see such large pieces and to actually have it explained. Totally recommend if this is your sort of thing!

Some real breathtaking rocks and fossils in the museum section. You can pick out your own rocks (pay per lb) for a reasonable price. Great place for adults and kids

Short informative hike explaining the process with many specimens still in the location they were found. Lots of scenic overlooks

The lady and her grand daughter were great to talk with. Walking through is a great little hike. The gift shop has a few things that you can buy and the rock shop has a TON of items. While it's not a huge attraction, it's pretty interesting to see and feel!

The petrified forest self-guided tour was a really cool place. We went in the morning and had the whole place to ourselves and it was so peaceful. It's go at your own pace, and we took about an hour walking around. The place has adjusted really well to COVID and everything was super well-organized. The stores were closed unfortunately, but the woman at the desk was super nice and helped us figure out where to go. Some really pretty views and fun history.

This is a fantastic place to stop if you enjoy nature and hiking. The short hike takes you across a number of scenic lookouts and fantastic specimens of petrified trees. We spent an hour on the hike and another hour digging through petrified tree pieces available for purchase. Feeling the rocks and and learning about how they are formed gives you an appreciation for the scale of time and changes the earth overwent to bring them to the surface. Staff was very friendly and the facility overall seemed like a nice place to stop for a picnic lunch.

Wonderful experience and educational! Worth a stop, plan on about an hour to an hour and a half if leisurely spending time and looking in the shops. Kind and helpful people!!

A glance at a place from a time long past.

Interesting walking tour and nice museum describing the scientific geological formation of the Black Hills in common terms showing the formations that are hundreds of millions years old. Refreshing to see actual science displayed in a way everyone can understand.

Met the new owners who purchased it a few months ago. I hope they can continue communicating the fascinating geological history of the Petrified Forest outside Piedmont and the mountains that surround it. Go science!

A beautiful place to stay and visit.

Wonderful self guided tour of petrified large sections and whole trees. You could see the rings and bark but it was all solid as a rock, the wood slowly replaced by minerals while it was buried by earth and water. They also have a good video showing how petrification happens.

This place is so cool. Just to see what nature is capable of. Fantastic!!! We were there a little before tourist season. So there shops weren't open. There are bathrooms at the site though. Still will go again. Wonderful.

We spent 2+ very enjoyable hours here watching an informative video, browsing the museum and walking the short tour thru the garden. I think this would be a fabulous field trip for jr. high students (may be showing my age, this might be called this middle school now).

Very beautiful area to see. Short walk with good information on what you are seeing. They also have a video to watch and of course a great rock shop!!