Petrified Forest National Park: Route 66 & Park History with Historian Bill Parker

In this episode of the Safe Travels Podcast, I’m joined by Bill Parker, Chief of Resources and Park Historian at Petrified Forest National Park, for a wide-ranging conversation that explores the historical and logistical forces that have shaped one of America’s most iconic desert landscapes.Bill takes us beyond the park’s famous petrified wood and into the human stories tied to Route 66, early automobile tourism, and the rise of roadside Americana in northern Arizona. We dive into how Holbrook, Arizona helped inspire Pixar’s Radiator Springs, the significance of the historic REO Mountaineer, and why Petrified Forest remains one of the few national parks where Route 66 still runs directly through protected land.As Chief of Resources, Bill also explains the real-world challenges of preservation—from decades of petrified wood theft to the long-term impacts of highways, railroads, and modern transportation corridors on fragile cultural and natural resources. This episode offers a rare look at how infrastructure, tourism, and conservation intersect inside the National Park Service.Bill is an institution at Petrified Forest National Park, I'm grateful that he joined the podcast! ______________Follow us on social!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safetravelspodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@safetravelspodYouTube: youtube.com/@safetravelspodSafetravelspod.com