Our Visit To Petrified Forest National Park
The goal this year while traveling is to hit up as many national parks as possible. We have been out for a little over two months now and visited six different national parks.
Only two of them have been new to us though.
In February we visited Hot Springs National Park and a couple of weeks ago we got to explore Petrified Forest National Park.
The Painted Desert Visitor Center is located at the north entrance and the Rainbow Forest Museum is located at the southern entrance.
The museum also serves as a visitor center and has some amazing displays.
In the middle, you will find the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark which is another cool place to check out.
They are generally open daily 8am-4pm except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bathrooms and trashcans are available for visitor use.
Hiking trails also start from each location and each has a gift shop.
Rangers are available to answer any questions you may have and provide maps and brochures on the park. They can also stamp your passport and sign up your little ones for the Junior Ranger program.
Pets are welcome here and allowed on all hiking trails within the park.
Be sure to sign up your pet for the B.A.R.K. Ranger program. Dexter our dog and Everest are cat are now rangers at three different parks.
We managed to hike almost every trail in the park.
The Blue Mesa Trail was our favorite hike in the park and should be made a priority during your visit.
The remains of the Agate House are made out of petrified wood which was very cool to see. Newspaper Rock is also a great stop.
The Crystal Forest Trail had gorgeous pieces of petrified wood and the Puerco Pueblo Trail has a ton of history and petroglyphs.
We drove through the park towing our trailer and had no problems getting into most of the parking lots for the trailheads.
We did go during the week in the off-season though so that might of helped.
We enjoyed our time at the park and would visit again in the future. If you’ve never been and find yourself in the area I recommend swinging by and checking it out.
It will take you less than a day to make your way through all the attractions and trails in the park.
Remember that the park is not open 24/7 like many national parks. Park road hours are 8am-5pm.
