Gingko trees are one of only a dozen plants that are considered living fossils. The trees that grow today are very similar to their 270 million year old fossil counterparts. While the gingko fossils, due to their rarity, are the stars of the park the forest has more than 50 species of other petrified trees. The visitor center has specimens, interpretive displays, short videos and a overlook of the Columbia River.
The actual forest site is two miles west and has a 3 mile trail looping past petrified tree stumps enclosed in cages to protect them from theft and vandalism. Trail
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The trail is paved for 1/4 mile but very steep and really not worth the effort of pushing uphill because the visitor center has good examples of the petrified trees. The visitor center is completely accessible. The overlook is accessible. A path, too steep for wheelchair access, leads to a small display of Native American petroglyphs that were removed from their original location before it was flooded by the Wanapum Dam.
Both the visitor center and trail parking lots have room for RVs. Visitor Center
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