A Complete Guide For A Day Trip To Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona wasn’t always a national park.

It was originally established as a national monument on December 8, 1906, by Theodore Roosevelt. It was later designated as a national park on December 9, 1962.

The park receives over 800,000 visitors each year

The park boundary encloses 221,390 acres and over 50,000 acres are designated as The Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area. The main environment of the park is Intermountain Basin semi-arid steppe and shortgrass prairie.

Hundreds of species of animals can be found in the park, including elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bobcat, coyote, and numerous other mammals.

Birds, reptiles, and insects such as burrowing owls, Hopi rattlesnakes, and tarantulas are also abundant in the park.

Birds, lizards, and rabbits are seen most frequently by visitors and remember not to approach or feed wildlife.

If plants are your thing hundreds of species of wildflowers, cacti and grasses call the park home.

Over 800 archeological and historical sites are located in the park preserving thousands of years of human history.

Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park site that contains a segment of the Historic Route 66 alignment.

And let’s not forget about the abundance of petrified wood you’re bound to stumble upon on. Colorful remnants of a prehistoric forest are scattered around the park and visible on every hike you take.

Unlike most national parks Petrified Forest is NOT open 24/7.

It is open at least 8 am to 5 pm Mountain Standard Time daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are extended hours from spring thru fall.

Arizona does not observe daylight saving time. Be sure to plan hikes accordingly so you can get out of the park in time.

The entrance fee for the park is $25 per vehicle. You pay your entrance fee at the fee station located on either side of the park.

Each entry fee is valid for re-entry into the park for seven consecutive days from the date of purchase. If you have purchased the annual America the Beautiful National Parks Pass or its equivalent entry into the park is free.

If you plan on visiting two or three national parks in a single year I highly recommend purchasing this pass. It pays for itself within a couple of visits.

There is a 28 mile scenic drive through the park. From this drive, you are able to access all visitor centers and trails.

Below are a few other stops along the drive you should check out.

Newspaper Rock: From an overlook equipped with binoculars see over 650 petroglyphs covering a group of rocks some of which are 2,000 years old.

Agate Bridge: Agate bridge is a 110 foot petrified log spanning a gully.

Route 66 Alignment:  Historic Route 66 ran through the park and a 1932 Studebaker still sits in the desert.

Jasper Forest: From an overlook enjoy a panoramic view of Jasper Forest which contains a high concentration of petrified wood.

We drove through the park towing our trailer and had no problems fitting into any of the parking lots. We did not see Pintado Point or Agate Bridge though because the park states the lots may be too small for RVs and trailers so we didn’t try.

There are three visitor centers located within the park.  Parking, restrooms, trashcans, and potable water are available there.

The Painted Desert Visitor Center is located near the north entrance of the park and is open 8 am to 5 pm. You can purchase gas here too.

The Rainbow Forest Museum is located near the south entrance of the park and is open 9 am to 4 pm.

Rangers are available to answer any questions you may have and supply you with maps and brochures on the park. You can also pick up Junior Ranger books for the little ones from the Rangers.

Don’t forget to sign up your furry friends up to be B.A.R.K Rangers either. Bark Rangers aren’t reserved for just dogs, any pet can be one. Our Dog Dexter and cat Everest are both Bark Rangers at four different national parks now.

Gift shops are available at each visitor center and ask a ranger if you would like to watch the park movie. You can also start hikes at each place.

The Rainbow Forest Museum has a number of excellent paleontological exhibits that should not be missed.

The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark can be found a few miles from the Painted Desert Visitor Center.  The inn once served travelers along historic Route 66 and is now a museum.

The park has a number of hiking trails and none of them are that long so they can be done in a one day trip. Below is a list of those trails with some basic statistics on each.

Just click on the name of each hike to read my blog post on it for more details.

Remember that leashed pets are allowed on all hiking trails within the park. Please pick up after your pets.

Tawa Trail: This 1.2 mile one-way trail can be started at Tawa Point or the Painted Desert Visitor Center. Travel through the grassland and enjoy amazing scenic views.

Painted Desert Rim Trail: This 1 mile hike starts at the Painted Desert Inn and takes you to Tawa Point. The trail passes through the rim woodland of the mesa and has incredible views.

Puerco Pueblo: This 0.3 mile paved loop trail takes you through the remains of a hundred room pueblo that was occupied over 600 years ago. A number of petroglyphs can also be viewed from the trail.

Blue Mesa: This 1 mile loop trail takes you through badland hills of bluish bentonite clay as well as petrified wood. The beginning is a steep climb, but this hike is beautiful.

Crystal Forest: During this 0.75 mile loop trail you will travel through a dense collection of petrified wood containing beautiful quartz and amethyst crystals.

Giant Logs: This 0.4 mile loop trail is located behind the Rainbow Forest Museum. This hike features some of the largest and most colorful logs in the park including”Old Faithful”.

Long Logs: This 1.6 mile loop trail takes you to one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the park.

Agate House: This 2 mile round-trip hike takes you to a small partially reconstructed Pueblo that was occupied about 700 years ago.

Long Logs and Agate House Trails can be combined for a total of 2.6 miles round trip.

There are a number of hikes in Petrified Forest National Park that take you off the beaten path. These trails aren’t really marked and route finding skills will have to be used and distances are approximate.

You can ask for more information on these routes at the visitor center.

Below is some general information on each hike. Learn more on their official website.

Billings Gap: This 3 mile hike follows the steep edge of Blue Mesa and offers views of badlands and grassy valleys. It takes you to a viewpoint of the Billings Gap area.

Blue Forest Trail: This 3 mile round-trip hike takes you through colorful blue and white badland hills.

Dead Wash Overlook Hike: This 4 mile round-trip hike takes you through the grassland and past Black Forest petrified wood to an overlook of the Dead Wash drainage. It involves some rock scrambling in the wash.

Devil’s Playground: Permits are required for this hike and only three permits are available each week on a first-come-first-serve basis at the Painted Desert Visitor Center.

The hike is in a remote part of the park in the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area. Hoodoos towers are some of the rock formations you’ll encounter on this hike.

First Forest Point: During this 2.1 mile round-trip hike you will see giant sandstone boulders and sparkling petrified wood.

Jasper Forest Hike: This 2.5 mile round-trip hike takes you into Jasper Forest along an old 1930’s road with a large collection of petrified wood.

Onyx Bridge Hike: This 4 mile round-trip hike takes you to petrified wood eroding out of the Black Forest Bed of the Chinle Formation. The Onyx Bridge is a long petrified log of a Triassic conifer tree.

Red Basin Clam Beds Hike: During his 8.5 mile round-trip hike you will see petrified wood, petroglyphs, hoodoos, badlands, and fossil clam beds.

Wilderness Loop: During his 7 mile round-trip hike you will travel through several petrified “forests” eroding out of the Black Forest bed in the Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation.

Always have plenty of water and sunscreen.

Be sure to let someone know where you are hiking and when you plan on being back especially if taking an adventure on one of these off the beaten path hikes.

Removal of petrified wood or any natural or cultural object inside Petrified Forest National Park is strictly prohibited and punishable by federal law.

You are able to purchase petrified wood at a number of gift shops within the park.

There is no camping in the park.

There is backpacking/hiking into the designated Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area to spend the night in the park.  The backpacking wilderness permit is free and available at the visitor centers.

Learn more about overnight camping at their official website.

Geocaching is also available at the park. Learn more here.

Horseback riding is also allowed at the park. Learn more here.

The park is designated as an International Dark Sky Park which means star gazing is amazing here.

A free Dark Sky Viewing Permit is required to stay past park closing hours. Learn more here.

Unless you’re doing one of the off the beaten path hikes you can see everything Petrified Forest National Park has to offer in a single day.

If you’re short on time the Rainbow Museum and Painted Desert Inn should not be missed.

The Blue Mesa Trail is gorgeous and was our favorite hike in the park.

If you’re into history check out the Puerco Pueblo Trail.

If you just came to see the petrified wood the Crystal Forest Trail is your best bet.

We had a great time visiting the park and so did the pets. If we our every in the area in the future it’s a place we would visit again.