Exploring the state’s rugged terrain offers a unique opportunity to discover petrified wood, a fossilized treasure from ancient forests. With the right tips, you’ll be ready to embark on your own adventure and uncover these fascinating remnants of prehistoric life.

Knowing where to look and what to expect will increase your chances of spotting these remarkable pieces scattered across this great state’s terrain!

Petrified wood you can find in the US

In the United States, several types of petrified wood can be found, each with unique characteristics based on the original tree species and the minerals involved in the fossilization process. Here are some of the types you’ll be able to find.

Araucarioxylon

Found in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, this is one of the most famous types of petrified wood. It comes from an extinct species of conifer. As Arizona’s state fossil, Araucarioxylon holds a special place in the state’s natural history.

These trees once formed vast forests during the Late Triassic period, about 225 million years ago. The vibrant colors in this petrified wood come from minerals that replaced the original tree material over time.

Metasequoia

Often referred to as dawn redwood, this type of petrified wood can be found in various parts of the U.S., including the Pacific Northwest. Metasequoia was once thought to be extinct until living trees were later discovered in China.

Furthermore, its fine grain and reddish-brown color are characteristic features.

Palmoxylon

This petrified wood originates from palm trees and is often found in the Gulf Coast states like Texas and Louisiana. Recognized as the state stone of Texas, Palmoxylon is abundant and holds cultural significance.

The wood’s unique speckled or dotted pattern comes from the vascular bundles of the original palm tree. These fossils date back to the Cretaceous period, when the area was tropical and teeming with life.

Taxodium

Also known as bald cypress, this petrified wood can be found in the southeastern U.S., particularly in areas that were once swampy. Taxodium wood is often found in places that were ancient swamps, where these trees thrived millions of years ago.

The wood is durable and shows intricate grain patterns, with growth rings and knotholes that tell the story of its long history. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the wet environments that once dominated the Southeast.

Sequoioxylon

Petrified wood from ancient sequoia trees, found in places like California, where sequoia forests once thrived. These trees are the ancestors of the giant sequoias that still stand in California today.

The petrified wood is notable for its large, straight grain and reddish color, reflecting the immense size and age of the original trees.

Ginkgoxylon

Petrified wood from ancient ginkgo trees, which can sometimes be found in states like Oregon and Washington. Ginkgo is one of the oldest tree species on Earth, with fossils dating back over 200 million years.

Ginkgo petrified wood often has a light color and may show patterns similar to the fan-shaped leaves of the living ginkgo.

Dicotyledonous Wood

Found across various states, this type of petrified wood comes from broadleaf trees, making it more common and varied in appearance. You can spot dicotyledonous wood by the distinct vessels and growth rings that indicate seasonal changes.

This type of petrified wood is often found in regions that were once temperate forests, offering clues about the diverse plant life that existed millions of years ago.

Piceoxylon

Petrified wood from ancient spruce trees, commonly found in areas like Wyoming and Montana, where coniferous forests once thrived. Piceoxylon is known for its straight grain and pale color, often showing growth rings that tell the tree’s life story.

These trees were part of the ancient boreal forests that covered large parts of North America during cooler periods.

A Quick Request About Collecting

What Rough Petrified Wood Looks Like

Most of the photos you find of petrified wood are pieces that have been cut and polished. That is certainly useful but isn’t super helpful once you are out in the field. This is what you should look out for once you start hunting:

Exteriors like this

Every type of petrified wood has a different exterior and pattern but this is a good starting point on what to look for.

Texture and grain patterns

One of the most distinctive features to look for is the texture and grain patterns. Petrified wood often retains the original structure of the tree, including the grain, knots, and even growth rings. These patterns can appear similar to modern wood but are typically more rigid and fossilized.

Examine the surface for any linear patterns or striations that indicate the original wood grain. The texture may feel smoother or more polished in certain areas where mineralization has created a glassy effect.

Coloration and mineralization

The color of petrified wood can vary significantly due to the minerals that replaced the organic material during the fossilization process. Common colors include shades of brown, red, yellow, orange, and black.

Some pieces might even exhibit multiple colors in intricate patterns. These colors are often more vivid and diverse than those found in regular rocks. When inspecting potential petrified wood, look for these distinct and varied hues, which can indicate the presence of different minerals such as silica, iron, manganese, and others that contributed to the petrification process.

Bark and exterior features

Another telltale sign of petrified wood is the presence of bark impressions or external textures that resemble tree bark. These features are often well-preserved and can include the rough, fibrous texture of bark, knots, or other surface irregularities typical of natural wood.

The exterior of rough petrified wood may also have a weathered appearance, with cracks and fractures that occurred as the wood fossilized over millions of years. Look closely for these natural wood features, as they can be a strong indicator that you have found a piece of petrified wood.

Weight and density

Petrified wood is typically much heavier and denser than regular wood due to the mineralization process. When rockhounding, pick up the specimen to feel its weight. Even small pieces of petrified wood will feel significantly heavier than an equivalent-sized piece of non-fossilized wood.

This increased density is due to the replacement of organic material with minerals, making petrified wood feel more like a rock than wood. Comparing the weight and density of your find with known samples of petrified wood can help confirm its authenticity.

General Areas To Try First

Before we get into the specific places you should be looking we wanted to give you some more general advice. Once you get to your hunting area you should head straight for these areas if you want to have the best results:

Lakeshores

Lakeshores are like natural garbage cans because all things wash up and get left there over time. That includes wood that has turned to stone. As the water rises and falls, it carries sediment and rocks. It also takes the fossilized remains of trees from long ago.

Most lakeshores have a variety of rocks and minerals, which makes them an excellent place for petrified wood to grow and thrive. You’ll find a nice mix of sedimentary and volcanic rocks, the best sites for preserving wood fossils.

Roadcuts

When building roads, parts of the ground are often cut away to make a smooth path. The magic happens when the road cuts through layers of rock and soil. Petrified wood is often buried deep underground, and roadcuts let us see these underground wonders.

As workers blast through the rock layers, they accidentally find petrified wood that has been there for hundreds of years. Petrified wood is easy for collectors to spot because the exposed rock layers of roadcuts make it easy to see its unique patterns and colors.

Streams and creeks

Streams and creeks can move loose sediment away, which can reveal old wood that has turned to stone. As the water moves around, it exposes small pieces or even more significant amounts of petrified wood that have settled on the streambed.

Streams and creeks are more accessible for collectors because they are not as big. You can easily walk along their banks, jump from rock to rock, and look for petrified wood at the water’s edge.

River beds

Riverbeds are excellent for finding petrified wood due to their unique geological and environmental conditions. Rapid burial by sediments like sand, silt, and mud protects fallen trees from decay, initiating the fossilization process.

Mineral-rich waters flowing through rivers facilitate the replacement of organic material with minerals such as silica, turning wood into stone. Over time, erosion exposes these buried treasures, making them accessible for discovery.

This dynamic environment, with constant sediment deposition and mineral infiltration, creates ideal conditions for the formation and eventual exposure of petrified wood.

The tools every petrified wood hunter will need

When you're out looking for petrified wood having the right tools for the job is really going to make or break your success. You don't need a lot for most trips but there are a handful that are critical and will make your life a lot easier.

We get asked a lot about the equipment we use. Over the years we've found a handful of tools that we recommend to both new and experienced petrified wood hunters which we outline in great detail in our complete rockhounding tools and kit guide. These are quality options that also happen to be relatively inexpensive.

Below are the basic tools that make your life so much easier and save you a ton of time. Check out the full guide to see everything we recommend bringing. One quick note, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases but we try very hard to only recommend gear we would use ourselves and often recommend brands you can't find on Amazon.

At a minimum you should have:

1 - Sturdy rock hammer: The Estwing Rock Pick is our standard

2 - Rugged chisels: Try Kendo' 3-piece Chisel Set

3 - Compact shovel: The Koleiya 28-inch shovel works well

4 - Rock screen pan: The Wazakura Soil Sieve Set fits the bill

5 - Eye protection: DeWalt Safety Glasses are cheap and comfortable

6 - Head protection: Malta's Safety Helmet has been our go-to

7 - Jewelers lens with at least 20x magnification: Jarlink's Jewelers Loop is perfect

The petrified wood-finding books that we use most

There are also a few books that have been extremely helpful in the search for gems. These books have great recommendations and tips:

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals: North America 

Southwest Treasure Hunter's Gem & Mineral Guide 

Earth Treasures: The Southwestern Quadrant 

We provide links to find these tools on Amazon but some can also be found at your local hardware stores. For more recommendations check out the link to our full tool guide above.

The Best Places To Find Petrified Wood In Missouri

There are many great rockhounding sites in Missouri, which is always good news for any collector or rockhound. However, this also makes it hard to pinpoint specifically which of them contain petrified wood. So we did the hard work and scoured our state for the surest sites to find them here:

Missouri River

Stretching over 400 miles across our state, the Missouri River is a key part of our landscape. As the longest river in North America, it carries a rich history and geology from its source in Montana all the way to its meeting point with the Mississippi River near St. Louis.

Geographically, the Missouri River snakes through varying landscapes, from the rolling plains in the north, near Kansas City, to the hilly terrain around St. Louis. Along the way, it nourishes farmland, creates beautiful river bluffs, and provides habitat for lots of wildlife.

The river’s geology is as diverse as its terrain. Its banks and bottom carry sediment from thousands of miles away, offering a mixture of sand, clay, and even glacial deposits. In places, the river cuts through limestone and other bedrock, creating unique formations.

Despite this, it’s pretty easy to reach as many towns and cities lie along its path. But always remember to check area-specific rules and regulations on where you can collect in our state. For more detailed information, check out Missouri’s latest collecting guidelines.

Where we found petrified wood in the Missouri River

Make sure to explore the north shoreline of the Missouri River downstream to Wilton where you can find stunning samples of petrified wood.

Dade County

Dade County is a place brimming with natural beauty and rich geology. With a landscape dominated by the Ozark Plateau, its terrain here ranges from gently rolling hills to deep valleys, creating a mix of open grasslands and forested areas. The county is also dotted with numerous creeks and rivers.

Underneath its fertile soils lie layers of limestone and dolomite, types of rock that formed millions of years ago from ancient sea beds. These rocks are often filled with fossils, providing clues about the creatures that lived here long before us.

What’s even better is that going to Dade County is easier than you might think. Just a short drive from major cities like Springfield and Joplin, it’s well-connected by highways.

Where we found petrified wood in Dade County

You can find petrified wood in all of Dade County’s area excavations, quarries, cut banks, and gravel pits.

Mississippi River

The mighty Mississippi River, one of the world’s major river systems, graces the eastern edge of our state, playing a crucial role in our geography and geology. Flowing southward from its source in Minnesota, it reaches Missouri near the Iowa border and winds its way along the state’s eastern.

The terrain along the Mississippi is diverse, with rolling hills, limestone bluffs, and rich floodplains. This creates a blend of lush farmland, scenic vistas, and diverse habitats for wildlife. A variety of landforms can be found, including oxbow lakes and wetlands, shaped by the river’s flow over thousands of years.

Geologically, the Mississippi River carries a wealth of sediment from its vast drainage basin. This, combined with the local bedrock, offers an intriguing mix of sand, silt, clay, and gravel, with occasional fossil finds. Also, going here is pretty easy as it flows past several towns and cities.

Where we found petrified wood in the Mississippi River

Explore the following areas surrounding the Mississippi River to find petrified wood:

• All Bollinger County gravel pits, road cuts, and excavations extending east through Cape Girardeau County to the Mississippi River
• Area gravels, exposures of Marble Hill east to Mississippi River

Grand River

The Grand River is a captivating waterway that begins in Iowa and meanders through the northern part of our state, eventually flowing into the Missouri River. Spanning nearly 200 miles in length, it’s a noteworthy feature in our diverse landscape.

The terrain along the Grand River varies, from the rolling hills to the fertile floodplains near its mouth. It has carved out its own path over thousands of years, creating river bluffs and shaping the land around it. These areas are filled with forests and fields, providing homes for all sorts of plants and animals.

Geologically, it’s a treasure trove of information. The river carries sediment from its vast drainage area, giving us clues about the rocks and soils from upstream. Near the river, you’ll often find layers of limestone and shale, types of rock that were laid down in ancient seas that once covered the region.

Where we found petrified wood in the Grand River

You can find captivating pieces of petrified wood if you explore the gravels along the Grand River in Daviess County.

Cass County

Cass County is a captivating region directly south of the bustling Kansas City metropolitan area. Its geography is diverse, ranging from open prairies to heavily forested areas, and it’s crisscrossed by several creeks and rivers.

Its terrain is predominantly rolling hills, a result of glaciation many thousands of years ago. The soils are a mix of loess, deposited by wind-blown glacial dust, and alluvium, which comes from the river valleys. Together, they create rich farmland that’s perfect for the county’s many farms and ranches.

Geologically, the region is dominated by layers of limestone and shale, ancient sedimentary rocks full of fascinating fossils. And as for accessibility, Cass County is easy to reach. It’s well-served by major highways like I-49 and Route 2.

Where we found petrified wood in Cass County

Explore all the following areas in Cass County if you’re looking for petrified wood:

• Quarry adjacent to South Grand River
• Quarry adjacent to Camp Branch
• Harrisonville area quarries

Other Great Places To Find Missouri Petrified Wood

In case you’re looking for more sure sites where you can find petrified wood in Missouri, you may refer to the list of spots we’ve listed below by county.

Common Questions About Finding Petrified Wood In Missouri

In this section, allow us to answer some of the most commonly-asked questions when it comes to finding petrified wood in Missouri:

How old is Petrified Wood in Missouri

The age of petrified wood in Missouri can vary greatly, but much of it dates back to the Paleozoic Era, which lasted from about 540 million to 250 million years ago. This was a time when life exploded in diversity and complexity, with the first forests springing up across the planet.

In our state, the ancient trees that would become petrified wood were often part of lush swamps and coastal forests, teeming with ferns, horsetails, and primitive conifers. As these plants died, they were buried under layers of sediment. Over millions of years, it turned into stone, resulting in captivating petrified wood.

Can you find Petrified Palm Wood in Missouri?

Petrified palm wood does not naturally occur in Missouri because our geologic history doesn’t include the types of environments where palms typically grew.

Most petrified wood here comes from trees that lived in the state during the Paleozoic era, a time when the climate and environment were very different from the tropical or subtropical settings where palms thrive.

The Best Places To Buy Petrified Wood In Missouri

Finding petrified wood in its natural environment sure is worth every effort, but if you don’t have the time and energy needed to go on a full-blast exploration, you can opt to visit our local shops that display and sell them here, like the following:

• Blue Lavender Sky – 1462 N Grant Ave, Springfield, MO 65802
• Fall Creek Rock Shop – 11010 Dillon Outer Rd, Rolla, MO 65401
• Prehistoric Fossils – 101 Veterans Blvd, Branson, MO 65616
• Prospectors Crystals, Rocks, & Gift Shop – 1640 Gravois Rd, High Ridge, MO 63049
• White Light Crystal Shoppe – 115 E Gregory Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64114