The badlands below offer a place of silence, solitude, and total immersion in nature. The Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area is valued for its undeveloped and natural qualities, allowing unconfined recreation and opportunities for solitude. This wilderness area was one of the first to be officially designated, and this portion in the Painted Desert preserves 43,020 acres. These lands invite people to get lost in them, find themselves in them, or simply take in the view.