Photo: Valley of Fire State Park / iStock / Fyletto

An Alternative to Petrified Forest National Park: Valley of Fire State Park, Las Vegas

Although it's a lesser-known national park overall, Arizona’s Petrified Forest is internationally recognized for its abundance of fossils and petrified wood, and it draws almost a million visitors a year. Another option is to check out Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park, six miles from Lake Mead and 55 miles from Las Vegas. It's the state's oldest and largest state park and has expansive areas of petrified wood and 3,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs.