Ginkgo Petrified Forest by the Columbia River in Washington State

We just wrapped up our Freeman family 2022 summer vacation road trip, driving through Washington State, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming! So brace yourselves for a series of recap posts, highlighting our favorite moments, places to eat, and places to stay!

Our road trip lasted just shy of 2 weeks, and today I wanted to share a highlight from Day 1! In fact, this was the first stop on our epic journey, and it was a fun and relaxing way to ease into seeing all of the roadside sights!

We got up around 4am, hit Starbucks the moment it opened (it’s not an official road trip until you hit the ‘bucks!) and made a straight line drive to the Washington State / Idaho border. While we were eager to get out of state and see new sights, I wanted to make sure we did SOME Washington sightseeing. So around 8-9am-ish we pulled up to Vantage, Washington, our first official stop.

Did you know that petrified wood is Washington’s official state gem? So what better stop than this one! Considered one of the most diverse fossil forests in North America, Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park in Vantage, Washington is famous for its rare specimens of petrified Ginkgo tree discovered there in 1932.

The State Park is a 7,124-acre park that features 27,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on the Wanapum Lake along the Columbia River. Ginkgo Petrified Forest is a registered National Natural Landmark.

Since we were going to be driving right by the park on our way to South Dakota from Oak Harbor, Washington, it was extremely convenient to use this as an entertaining and educational rest stop to take in the big skies, the Columbia River views and the outdoor exhibits of petrified wood. 

From the lookout near the Interpretive Center you can look for evidence of Ice Age floods carved into the walls of the Columbia River Gorge, and take in the mighty river below. There is also a 1.25 miles long Trees of Stone Interpretive Trail that winds past more than 20 petrified logs in their original settings. While this was fun for a quick stop, the kids really enjoyed visiting a nearby Gem Shop just down the road from the state park.

The Ginkgo Gem Shop stands just outside the entrance to Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. There’s LOTS of petrified wood (bigger and prettier specimens than we saw at the State Park to be honest, even though they aren’t Ginkgo specimens.. But def a bigger wow factor for the kids to look and touch, haha) and large kitschy roadside dinosaurs posed outside, which the kids LOVED. The shop was closed when we drove through (we got a REALLY early start on our roadtrip!) but it was worth a stop just for the goodies outside and to let the kids run around and get their energy out.

Once we were don’t letting the kids poke around the petrified trees and pose with the dinosaurs, we drove across the Vantage bridge, across the Columbia, and stopped to check out the hilltop sculptures along the freeway: “Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies (also known as the Wild Horse Monument)”. 

This is a public art sculpture created by David Govedare in 1989 and situated just across the river from Ginkgo Petrified Forest. The ridge above the Columbia River near Vantage Bridge was proposed as the site because the last great roundup of Washington’s wild horses took place in the area in 1906. The art display consists of 15 life-size steel horses which appear to be galloping across a ridge above the Columbia River. Presented as a gift for the centenary of Washington’s statehood, the sculpture was conceived as a memorial to the wild horses which once roamed the region. According to the Seattle Times, it is one of the most-seen public artworks in Washington state.

It was really cool coming up to this, because driving past on freeway speeds, it actually DOES look like a herd of wild galloping horses! Visible for miles in all directions, the sculpture can be accessed via a rough footpath which leads from the east-bound side of Interstate 90 near Vantage to the top of the ridge. We contemplated making the trek up the hillside, but the dirt was really crumbly and dry, and the thought of lugging our three kiddos up there made us think it looked REALLY lovely from down below, haha!

This was a great stop to make, and I do recommend it for anyone traveling along the I-90. Total Route 66-esque roadside flair for a classic all-American summer road trip vacation!