One must-do stop along Interstate 40 in Northern Arizona is the otherworldly Petrified Forest National Park. The park appeals to explorers interested in geology, natural history, paleontology, anthropology, fascinating hiking trails, beautiful vistas, and dramatic desert landscapes.
This 346-square-mile national park was established in 1962 and was first protected as a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
The ancient trees and dramatic views attract almost 650,000 visitors a year, and its location right off Interstate 40 between Winslow and Holbrook, Arizona, makes it easy to explore.
The area that is now Petrified Forest National Park was part of a travel corridor long before the interstate was built in the 1950s.
Native Americans traveled through the area and many established homes there, evidenced by the ruins of their pueblos and petroglyphs they carved into stone.
- How to Get to Petrified Forest National Park
- What is Petrified Wood?
- Evidence of Ancient Life
- Living Animals at the Park
- What is the Environment at Petrified Forest National Park?
- Exploring Petrified Forest National Park's Southern Section
- Exploring the North End of Petrified Forest National Park
- What Is the Painted Desert?
- What Else to Enjoy
- Tips for Visiting Petrified Forest National Park
Centuries later, Route 66 passed through what was to become the park. Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park that preserves a section of historic Route 66, which was Centuries later, Route 66 passed through what was to become the park.
Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park that preserves a section of historic Route 66, which was decommissioned in 1985. You can snap a photo of a rusting 1932 Studebaker next to the Mother Road near the Painted Desert Visitor Center near the north entrance to the park.
How to Get to Petrified Forest National Park
There are two convenient entrances to the park. The north entrance can be accessed at exit 311, which is the best route for those traveling west on I-40. For those traveling east, take exit 285 and travel on Highway 180 southeast for about 20 miles to the southern entrance and the Rainbow Forest Museum and Visitor Center. (Don’t accidentally take Highway 77 from Holbrook, which goes due south to Snowflake.)
From either entrance, you access the 26-mile road that goes through the center of the park. From this road, you can access multiple short, developed trails as well as some “off the beaten path hikes” like the 8.5-mile Red Basin Clam Beds trail, Onyx Bridges (4 miles), Wilderness Loop (7 miles), and Jasper Forest (2.5 miles). The visitor centers offer printed guides to the trails, which the park’s Trip Planner warns “may require some route-finding skills.”
What is Petrified Wood?
To put it simply, petrified wood is a tree that turned to stone. Similar to fossilization, wood is petrified when the organic plant material is replaced by minerals. More than 215 million years ago, when this area was a lush, forested landscape, dead logs fell into a river. These ancient trees were then covered by silt, mud, sand, and volcanic ash. Minerals in the water soaked into the log and quartz crystals bonded with the cells of the tree and reproduced the once-organic matter in stone.
Some petrified logs are brilliantly colored due to trace elements that seeped into the dead tree. Iron, for example, can make the petrified wood yellow, orange, red, or black, while manganese gives the petrified wood beautiful and distinctive blues and purples.
How Long Does it Take for Wood to Petrify?
The time it takes for wood to become petrified depends on the level of minerals in the water. The process can take from tens of thousands to millions of years.
Evidence of Ancient Life
Petrified Forest National Park is a paleontologist’s dream, especially for those who want to study the Late Triassic period from 237 to 201.4 million years ago. The park service notes that Koskinonodon perfectus is a common fossil found in the park’s lower part. This large, flat-headed amphibian was up to 10 feet long and weighed up to a half-ton.
The most common fossilized animals found in the park are phytosaurs, crocodile-like reptiles reaching up to 20 feet long. Actual early dinosaurs are, the park says, relatively rare and are a minor component of the Triassic fossils found in the park. You can see fossils on display at the Rainbow Forest Museum at the south entrance to the park.
Living Animals at the Park
A park service brochure includes a checklist of 80 of the most common bird species seen at the park. The best time to observe wildlife is early morning and toward dusk. When braving the midday heat, Common Ravens beg for handouts in the parking lot and Rock Wrens perch near the Puerco Pueblo petroglyphs.
Other animal species that may be spotted at the park include pronghorn, black-tailed jackrabbits, coyote, kit fox, and many species of rodents and bats. Reptiles are also well represented at the park, including lizards and snakes.
Remember to respect wildlife and keep your distance.
What is the Environment at Petrified Forest National Park?
If you picture all of Arizona as being dotted with the Sonoran Desert’s iconic Saguaro Cactus, you’re barking up the wrong tree. While Petrified Forest National Park is part of the 1,500-square-mile area known as the Painted Desert, the environment here is short-grass prairie and semi-arid grassland. The extreme southern and northern parts of the park are designated wilderness areas.
Exploring Petrified Forest National Park’s Southern Section
If you’re coming from California, you can easily camp in Holbrook near the southern entrance. Just after the entrance station is the Rainbow Forest Museum, which has paleontology exhibits and a small gift shop operated by the Petrified Forest Museum Association. Across the parking lot is a larger gift shop that shows a video about Petrified Forest National Park.
Behind the Rainbow Forest Museum is the Giant Logs Trail, an easy, although unpaved and not entirely accessible stroll, that introduces visitors to the many petrified logs and includes one of the longest.
Pick up a copy of the Giant Logs Trail Guide to interpret what you see and for an explanation of how wood becomes stone. Take your photo in front of Old Faithful, a 35-foot-long log that weighs about 44 tons. You can recreate a photo in the guide of Albert Einstein and his wife standing in front of Old Faithful back in 1931.
The .3-mile trail is a great spot to ponder what the area looked like 216 million years ago during the Triassic Period. It was still hot, but rather than being a desert, it was a humid riverside forest. Where dense accumulations of petrified logs are found in the park, they often reflect long-ago log jams along a river, such as at the Rainbow Forest section near the visitor center.
The southern section of Petrified Forest National Park is where you’ll encounter the most petrified wood. Multiple stops along the park road provide overlooks and short trails with views of the petrified trees and places to meander on a trail among huge petrified logs.
Heading north just a bit, you’ll find access to the Long Logs and Agate House trails, which can be combined into a 2.6-mile round-trip hike.
Agate House is a reconstructed pueblo built with petrified wood, quite distinctive from other pueblos seen in the Southwest. Petrified logs can be viewed along the Long Logs portion of the trail. Note that you can choose to do just the Long Longs loop section of the trail or continue on to Agate House. Long Logs Trail is a 1.6-mile loop and the Agate House Trail is 2 miles round trip, but they both start and finish at the same point.
Traveling further north along the road through Petrified Forest National Park, you’ll find Crystal Forest.
This .75-mile loop trail provides the opportunity to view many petrified logs. Unlike the Giant Logs Trail, this one is completely paved but does have some gentle ups and downs. Jasper Forest is next and provides a panoramic view of petrified wood not far from the road.
Agate Bridge is at the next stop and is just steps from the parking area. It is a 110-foot log that spans a gully. Back before the park was protected, folks posed atop the log. Today, it is supported by concrete, and visitors are not allowed to walk on it.
North of Agate Bridge is a four-mile driving loop to explore Blue Mesa, a starkly beautiful area that offers the opportunity to hike down the one-mile Blue Forest Trail. Those enjoying the driving loop can stop at multiple overlooks to take in the view and see the trail below.
The next two stops protect Ancestral Puebloan sites: Newspaper Rock, which is covered with petroglyphs that you view from above with provided telescopes, and Puerco Pueblo, where you can see more petroglyphs along with the remains of a 100-room pueblo. The petroglyph of a White-Faced Ibis is especially charming and is much closer to the trail than those at Newspaper Rock.
Exploring the North End of Petrified Forest National Park
From Puerco Pueblo, you continue on the park road past Interstate 40 and explore the smaller northern section of the park. Here you can check out the Painted Desert Visitor Center and the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark, a former Harvey House that has been beautifully restored and preserved.
Don’t let the name (and some merchandise in the gift shops) fool you. Painted Desert is not a separate park. In reality, Petrified Forest National Park is part of a huge geographic area known as the Painted Desert, which is not a park or monument.
In the northern section of the park, you can enjoy overlooks such as Pintado Point, Whipple Point, Tiponi Point, and Tawa Point which provide sweeping views of the Painted Desert Landscape. You’ll also want to explore the Painted Desert Visitor Center and Painted Desert Diner, where you can get refreshments and mementos of your trip.
The Painted Desert Inn is a highlight for anyone interested in historic Route 66 and Harvey House history. When we were there, a friendly volunteer told us about the history of the building and then we wandered through the dining room, kitchen, and soda fountain of this former Harvey House. There’s a small gift shop upstairs and a separately operated snack bar with refreshing ice cream and cold drinks downstairs.
You can enjoy outstanding views of the Painted Desert from the inn’s patio on the Painted Desert rim. There are also developed trails you can access here, the 2-mile Tawa Trail and the 1-mile Painted Desert Rim Trail.
Gasoline and diesel are also available at the Painted Desert Visitor Center.
What Is the Painted Desert?
The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park are part of the southern end of the Colorado Plateau, which includes other famous locations like the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce National Parks.
The Painted Desert gained its name from the dramatic colors seen in the mostly barren formations, such as buttes, mesas, hoodoos, and towers. The Painted Desert badlands are composed of a byproduct of volcanic ash called bentonite, which includes clay. The clay can absorb huge quantities of water, causing it to expand and contract which in turn limits the ability of plants to grow on the surface. The lack of plants increases the erosion of the structures.
What Else to Enjoy
There are more than 50,000 acres of designated wilderness in the park with no developed trails. For those wanting to explore these options, check with the visitor center for details. Devils Playground requires a permit and free permits are available for overnight wilderness use.
Petrified Forest National Park is an International Dark-Sky Park, rated on a Bortel scale of 3 (1 is the darkest and 9 is the brightest). To experience these dark skies, check into upcoming astronomy events or try wilderness camping.
Become a junior ranger, no matter your age! Adults are not precluded from completing the Junior Ranger activity booklets, being sworn in, and receiving a free badge. While the program is designed to help youngsters learn more about and engage with the parks they visit, it’s fun and educational for adults, too.
Petrified Forest National Park has a variety of programs that visitors can enjoy, including cultural demonstrations, educational, ranger-guided programs, and the Petrified Forest Field Institute. If you love the park and have time, you can inquire about volunteering there or joining the Friends of Petrified Forest.
Tips for Visiting Petrified Forest National Park
Can You Drive Your RV Through the Park?
You can bring your RV or trailer with you as you drive the road through Petrified Forest. The road is paved throughout the entire park and is in good condition. Keep in mind that some of the parking areas for trailheads and observation points may not accommodate your rig. For example, Agate Bridge and Pintado Point have tight turnarounds that are not suitable for RVs or trailers.
Can You Bring Your Dog?
Your leashed dog is welcome to visit the park with you as long as you’re sure to pick up after it. Be cautious, of course, about hot weather that can heat the ground and burn paws or cause heat exhaustion. Do not leave your dog in the car unattended.
Your dog can even become a Bark Ranger and get a treat and a badge! Ask about the Bark Ranger program at the visitor centers or entrance gates, but be aware that only certified service animals are allowed inside the buildings.
Weather at Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park is in northern Arizona, so you know it can get hot in summer. Hot days mean bringing — and drinking — plenty of water, wearing sun-protective clothing, sunscreen, and lip balm, and perhaps limiting your excursions. Watch for signs of heat exhaustion and even more dangerous heat stroke.
Keep in mind, too, that the park is at an elevation of about 5,400 feet, which can exacerbate the effects of the heat and also require that you drink more water. Summer can also bring violent monsoon thunderstorms, usually in the afternoon. Keep an eye on the skies if you visit in summer, and take shelter if there is lightning.
Fall is a great time to visit any place in the Southwest as temperatures cool and summer monsoonal rains ease. Winter brings a special beauty to Petrified Forest National Park and may include dustings of snow on logs and the landscape. Temperatures can drop below freezing during winter there.
The best plan of action is to check the weather forecast before you visit to make sure you’re prepared.
Can I Take Home a Piece of Petrified Wood?
Sure, if you buy it at a gift shop, you are more than welcome to take home a piece of petrified wood! However, it is illegal to remove anything from national parks and monuments, such as pottery sherds, arrowheads, pieces of petrified wood, plants, or rocks. There is a minimum fine of $325 for “removal or damage of petrified wood or other natural or cultural artifacts and features,” according to the National Park Service website.
In addition, there is a long-standing belief that bad luck follows people who remove petrified wood from Petrified Forest National Park and the park service has received packages containing pieces of petrified wood people are returning, often along with an apology, to stop their run of bad luck. According to the book Bad Luck, Hot Rocks, the rocks are kept in a “conscience pile” in the park since they cannot accurately be returned to the place from which they were taken, and the letters are archived.
If you see someone stealing or damaging park resources, call 928-524-6025 to report it.
Eating at Petrified Forest National Park
You can bring food and enjoy a picnic as you explore the sights, or find something at the Painted Desert Diner at the north end of the park or the gift shop at Rainbow Forest Museum, where you can grab snacks and drinks. There are picnic tables at Chinde Point in the north end of the park and Rainbow Forest Museum at the south entrance.
When Is the Park Open and What Does It Cost?
Petrified Forest National Park is open year-round, except December 25, from at least 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Note that Arizona does not observe daylight savings time (although the nearby Navajo Nation does). The park offers extended hours from spring through fall. When we visited in early August, signs encouraged visitors to head out in their cars by 7:30 p.m.
The cost to visit can be as little as nothing if you have an annual pass, Military Pass, Fourth Grade Pass, Access Pass for disabled citizens, or an America the Beautiful Pass. Otherwise, the fee is $25 per vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, or $15 per person entering by foot or bicycle. Passes are good for seven days.
Where to Stay When Visiting Petrified Forest National Park
There’s a variety of places to camp near Petrified Forest, including RV parks in Holbrook, about 26 miles west of the park. Another option is to stay in Gallup, 70 miles east of Petrified Forest National Park. There is no camping other than permitted wilderness camping in the national park.
Summing It Up
Petrified Forest National Park is absolutely worth a visit as you travel through Northern Arizona along Interstate 40! You can enjoy a visit as short as a couple of hours by visiting just one end of the park or driving the park road with few stops. Driving the park road with no stops takes about 45 minutes. If you have more time, add some trails and explorations along the road.
Learn more about the park at the National Park Service website.
Story by Cheryl Fallstead
Photography by Cheryl and Brian Fallstead
