Petrified Forest Trail & Visitor Guide
Petrified Forest · United States · About 221,390 acres (346 square miles) in Apache and Navajo counties, northeastern Arizona.
Why Visit Petrified Forest
Petrified Forest National Park preserves one of the world's largest concentrations of petrified wood — trees from the Late Triassic period, 225 million years ago, that were buried in sediment and slowly replaced by silica minerals, turning to stone while preserving cellular detail. The park also encompasses a section of the Painted Desert, where layers of bentonite clay create striped badlands of red, purple, blue, and gray.
Free Petrified Forest Audio Guide with Roamee Pro
Roamee Pro offers a free, self-guided Petrified Forest audio guide. It narrates trails, viewpoints, geology, and wildlife as you explore — Crystal Forest Trail, Blue Mesa Trail, Painted Desert Rim Trail, plus quieter spots like Onyx Bridge and Newspaper Rock. No guide, no schedule, works offline.
explore by interest
Signature Trails
- Blue Mesa Trail1 mile loop · Moderate
Paved loop descending into blue-gray and purple badland hills of the Chinle Formation with petrified wood on the slopes.
- Crystal Forest Trail0.75 mile loop · Easy
Concentration of petrified logs with quartz and amethyst crystals visible in the broken wood.
- Giant Logs Trail0.4 mile loop · Easy
Behind Rainbow Forest Museum; includes 'Old Faithful,' one of the largest logs in the park at nearly 10 feet wide at the base.
- Painted Desert Rim Trail1 mile out-and-back · Easy to moderate
Runs along the rim between Tawa Point and Kachina Point with views over the Painted Desert badlands.
- Long Logs and Agate House Trail2.6 miles combined loop · Easy to moderate
One of the largest concentrations of petrified wood plus Agate House, a partially reconstructed pueblo built from petrified wood blocks.
Must-See in Petrified Forest
- •Crystal Forest Trail — a 0.75-mile loop among dense concentrations of petrified logs with visible quartz crystals
- •Blue Mesa Trail — a 1-mile loop descending into blue-and-purple-striped badlands with petrified wood
- •Painted Desert Rim Trail — a 1-mile trail between two viewpoints overlooking the vast Painted Desert
- •Agate House — a 2-mile round trip to a partially reconstructed pueblo built entirely of petrified wood
Best Viewpoints
- •Kachina Point at the historic Painted Desert Inn
- •Tawa Point on the Painted Desert rim
- •Blue Mesa overlook and loop drive
- •Newspaper Rock overlook (petroglyph panel viewed via spotting scopes)
- •Tiponi Point near the north entrance
Quieter Corners of Petrified Forest
- •Onyx Bridge — a petrified log spanning a small wash in the park's wilderness area, reached by a cross-country route
- •Newspaper Rock — a viewpoint overlooking hundreds of petroglyphs carved into dark boulders by ancestral Puebloans
Wildlife You May See
Entrance Fee
$25 per private vehicle, valid for 7 days. Motorcycle $20, individual on foot or bicycle $15. Plan to complete the 28-mile park road within posted operating hours.
Getting There
The park straddles Interstate 40 about 110 miles east of Flagstaff and 25 miles east of Holbrook, Arizona. North entrance is at I-40 Exit 311; the south entrance is on US-180 about 18 miles southeast of Holbrook. The 28-mile park road connects both entrances, so you can drive straight through. Nearest commercial airports are Flagstaff (FLG) and Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX, about 3.5 hours).
Where to Stay
There is no lodging or developed campground inside the park. Backpacking with a free wilderness permit is allowed in the Petrified Forest Wilderness (permit from a visitor center, day before or day of). Nearest motels and chains are in Holbrook (25 miles, including Route 66 motels like the Wigwam Motel) and Winslow (about 60 miles west, home of La Posada Hotel).
Best Time
Open year-round but daytime gate hours vary seasonally (roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. winter, extended to about 7 p.m. or later in summer); you cannot enter or drive the road outside posted hours. Spring (March-May) and fall (September-October) have moderate temperatures. Summer highs reach the 90s-100s F with afternoon monsoon thunderstorms July-September.
Safety
The top hazard is heat and lack of water and shade on the badland and wood trails; carry water year-round since trails offer almost no shade and summer temperatures exceed 100 F. Flash floods can fill washes during summer monsoon storms. The road and most trails close at the gate each evening, so do not get caught after hours. Removing petrified wood or any object from the park is a federal crime; buy specimens only from outside vendors. Watch footing on slick clay badlands when wet.
Scenic Drives
- •The 28-mile main Park Road from the Painted Desert visitor center (north) to Rainbow Forest Museum (south), connecting all major overlooks and trailheads
- •Blue Mesa scenic loop spur off the main road
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