I love living in Arizona and appreciating the beauty of the desert. The pastel sunsets, the silhouette of a saguaro cactus, the red cliffs, the vast starry skies, and unique hidden gems like the Petrified Forest National Park.
Not many people make it up to the Petrified Forest National Park, but its stunning landscape will leave you in awe. This guide will help you discover the best things to do in the Petrified Forest National Park.
6 Things to do in the Petrified Forest National Park
Table of Contents
- 1. Stop at the Visitor Center
- 2. Take the Painted Desert Rim Trail
- 3. Visit the Painted Desert Inn
- 4. Stop at Newspaper Rock
- 5. Hike the Blue Mesa Trail
- 6. Visit the Rainbow Forest
1. Stop at the Visitor Center
Entrance to the Petrified Forest National Park is $20 per vehicle and is good for 7 days. If you have a 4th grader, be sure to take advantage of the free National Parks pass!
Once you enter the park you’ll want to stop at the visitor center to pick up a map and get recommendations and information from the guides.
The road through the park stretches 28 miles and includes plenty of stops and hikes along the way. Take your time and plan for at least a half, if not full, day to truly appreciate it.
2. Take the Painted Desert Rim Trail
The Petrified Forest National Park lies within the Painted Desert. It is an area rich in history and beauty.
Visiting the Painted Desert is like seeing art come to life. These badlands stretch over 160 miles from the eastern end of the Grand Canyon to the Petrified Forest.
The badlands are the most easily accessible within the Petrified Forest National Park.
The rolling hills are painted with stripes of lavender and gray, then vary with hues of orange and red. It’s like you’ve stepped right into a painting, or a different planet.
The Painted Desert is millions of years in the making and each layer is rich in geological history.
Stop at the Tawa Point scenic lookout where you’ll find the Painted Desert Rim trail. It is a short, easy 1.2-mile loop that boasts beautiful views of the rich red badlands.
Pintado Point is also worth a quick stop. It is the highest lookout point over the Painted Desert.
3. Visit the Painted Desert Inn
The Painted Desert Inn is a 1930s adobe building and historic landmark built over 100 years ago. It was once an inn made of petrified wood and other native stone and a popular stopping point along Route 66.
The Inn has since been converted to a museum with displays highlighting the history of the building, Route 66, and the surrounding park.
Visitors can view original portions of the Inn’s kitchen, cafe, and lobby. There are also beautiful lookout points over the painted desert from the Inn. Entrance to the museum is included in the park entrance fee.
4. Stop at Newspaper Rock
Evidence of the first human inhabitants in the area dates back about 8,000 years to prehistoric times and can be found at Newspaper Rock.
Newspaper Rock is a short stop off the main road and consists of two large rocks that are covered in over 600 petroglyphs.
There is a viewing platform with binoculars that my kids thought were the coolest thing ever, next to the petroglyphs of course.
5. Hike the Blue Mesa Trail
The Blue Mesa Trail is the crowning jewel and one of the best things to do in the Petrified Forest National Park. This trail has so much to offer in such a short loop!
This spectacular one-mile loop trail meanders through the pastel-layered badlands. You’ll feel as if you’ve been transported to another planet.
The blue hue of the mountains come from the Bentonite clay, a compound of volcanic ash, aluminum, and silicon.
The Petrified Forest is a hot spot for fossils. With over 600 archeological sites within the park, paleontologists have uncovered fossils ranging from small ferns to giant reptiles and early dinosaurs.
Many of those fossils have been uncovered right here in the sedimentary layers of the Blue Mesa.
There are also plenty of petrified log outcrops scattered throughout the hike.
The name of the park comes from these large deposits of petrified wood that are scattered throughout the 230 square mile park. These fallen trees lived during the late Triassic Period 225 million years ago.
The trail is a combination of paved concrete and gravel and descends 120 feet into the Blue Mesa Basin.
You’ll find informational plaques along the trail that explain the 221 million-year process of creating this landscape. There is no shade on the trail, so bring plenty of water and use caution if you are visiting in the summer.
6. Visit the Rainbow Forest
As you enter the Rainbow Forest at the southern entrance, make a stop at the Rainbow Forest Museum. Kids will especially enjoy the dinosaur exhibits and paleontology dig.
After the museum, head out to Rainbow Forest where you’ll find some of the highest concentrations of petrified logs.
A few notable stops in the Rainbow Forest include Old Faithful, the largest fossil log with a diameter of 9.5 feet. The Long Logs Trail is where you can find petrified logs reaching 120 feet in length. Be sure to stop at the Agate House, an ancient 8-room dwelling made of petrified wood.
The nearby Crystal Forest trail is also worth a stop. This short .85-mile loop. has a high concentration of petrified logs of all sizes and colors.
Also worth a stop is the hike to Onyx Bridge, a petrified wood bridge.
*Be sure to check out our list of other Arizona Hidden Gems!
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Other places to visit near the Petrified Forest National Park:
- The Petrified Forest National Park is the only National Park that contains a section of the historic Route 66. Be sure to check out our guide for other historic stops along Route 66.
- Canyon de Chelly is a spectacular canyon located about 1 1/2 hours north of the Petrified Forest National Park.
- The Petrified Forest is located about 2 hours west of Flagstaff where you’ll find plenty of things to do!
- The beautiful White Mountains are also less than 2 hours away and make for a great weekend escape.
- This also makes a great pitstop if you’re on your way to Durango, Colorado from the Phoenix Valley.
I hope this guide has helped you discover the best things to do in the Petrified Forest National Park!
Pin it for later:
When you say you need a guide to accompany you at Canyon de Chelly, do you need a pass beforehand to enter?
Hi Bridget! You do not need to get a separate pass/permit, but you do need to make a reservation with one of the registered tour guide companies. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much for the invitation :). Best wishes.
PS: How are you? I am from France 🙂