Visiting Petrified Forest National Park is So Worth It

Visiting Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is definitely worth it. Not only because of the petrified trees but also for its spectacular views, geological wonders and excellent hiking!

When we visited Petrified Forest National Park we thought it was all about the petrified trees. We figured we could just drive through the park in a few hours while stopping a couple times to see the trees. But boy were we wrong!

There were so many fascinating hikes, amazing views and things to look at that we ended up spending a whole day there. The further we drove, the more interesting the park got. You should definitely go visit there if you are close by!

Petrified Forest National Park is located in Arizona between the Interstate 40 and Highway 180. The closest bigger town is Flagstaff but there are few smaller ones next to the park. Petrified Forest National Park is only about 40 minutes drive from the state line of Arizona and New Mexico.

What is Petrified Forest National Park?

In 2007, locals voted it as one of Arizona’s Seven Man-Made Wonders. It includes places like Hoover Dam, London Bridge, Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and the Montezuma Castle National Monument mentioned below.

OUR FAVORITE HIKES AND SPOTS at Petrified Forest National Park

There are two entrances to the park so it better to plan ahead what you want to see and spend most time at. We stayed the night in Holbrook so we entered the park from the north.

We first stopped at the Painted Desert Visitor Center and then headed to our first trail. Most everything in Petrified Forest is along the main road and it goes all the way through the park. So you should plan to leave the park from the other side than where you entered.

Both entrances have their own Visitor Centers.

Painted Desert

Painted Desert Rim Trail was our first hike after entering the park.

If you want to make this hike longer, you can start from the Tawa Trail, which starts from the entrance station. We drove up to Tawa Point and started our walk from there.

The trail is very easy and it’s about 1 mile round-trip to the Painted Desert Inn. This trail is not paved and there are a few obstacles, so we left our stroller in the car.

The best part of this trail is absolutely the view of the colorful geography of the painted desert. If nothing else, you should at least stop at the Tawa Point lookout to see the view. And don’t forget to bring your camera!

The trails takes you to the Painted Desert Inn, which is now a museum. It was built in the early 20th century in the revival Pueblo style, and part of the main building was made from petrified trees.

Today, the museum features exhibits on its history, and it is a national historic landmark. We stopped there very briefly and then continued to explore the park.

Route 66

Our next major stop was at the Route 66 Alignment. Along the way, there were four viewing points to see more beautiful rock formations and we stopped shortly at a couple of them.

When we saw an old 1932 Studebaker, we knew we had arrived were the original Route 66 used to cross the park. This is not really a hike, but a fun little stop and great photo op.

Behind the old rusted car you can see a line of telephone poles. That is exactly where Route 66 used to follow. It was often called the “Main Road of America” as it crossed the whole country from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Today people still come all over the world to drive Historic Route 66. We have driven Route 66 in Arizona and in California, and there are some very interesting stops along the way.

Puerco Pueblo

Puerco Pueblo was a complete surprise to us. We had no clue that there would be a pueblo inside the park and we were excited to find that out.

A Pueblo is a North American Indian settlement, a place where they built their community and buildings. Puerco Pueblo is a ruin of an over-hundred room building that was built near the Puerco River. At the most, about 200 people lived there.

Eventually the pueblo was abandoned due to changing climate and drought.

The most exciting part of the visit for us was not only the ruins, but also the petroglyphs left behind by these ancient people. One of them is a solar marker.

At the end of June, during the summer solstice, the light and shadow passes a little marker made in between the rocks. The petroglyph marker can be seen from the trail. It is very interesting how people back then were so connected to astronomical events.

Petroglyphs are such a fascinating reminder of our history. We have seen some at Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico, in Mojave National Preserve in California and even in Alta, Norway. They are all interestingly very similar.

The trail is very short, only a 0.3 mile loop. It is paved, but there are some steps if you want to see the petroglyphs on the rocks. Otherwise it is totally doable with a stroller. There are toilets at this parking lot.

Blue Mesa Trail

Blue Mesa was the most amazing part of the park for us. We absolutely loved it! Walking through the colourful rocks formed by erosion felt like being on another planet. If you would have to choose one spot to visit in Petrified Forest National Park again, this would be it!

The trail is not difficult, but it begins with some steep steps. Once you get down, you will see breathtakingly beautiful hills with bluish bentonite clay up very close. Different colourful layers have formed over millions of years.

The trail is paved and the loop is about 1 mile total. We were able to carry our lightweight stroller down the stairs and the actual trail was perfect for strollers. We enjoyed this walk very much and also spotted several petrified trees along the trail.

If you don’t want to do the hike, some of Blue Mesa can be seen up from the road. The road loops back to the main road and is about 3.5 miles. But the experience is totally different when you get down to the badland hills and walk around them.

Giant Logs

Giant Logs is the trail to see the biggest petrified trees in the park. It is right behind the Visitor Center close to the southern entrance, so it was the last thing we did.

The trail is only a 0.4 miles loop and very easy. However, there are some steps on this trail so it isn’t really suitable for strollers. Our kiddos were fine with this walk though.

Petrified wood is literally wood that has turned into stone. Over time the fallen trees had shifted into a river and were buried in mud and volcanic ash. During millions of years the minerals on soil crystallized covering petrifying the wood and making it stone.

Not only have they found these petrified trees in the park but it has been rich on many kinds of fossils, even dinosaurs.

It didn’t take very long to walk this trail through and see all the trees. Some of them have such beautiful colours, as you can see in the photos below. More of these trees can be seen on the Crystal Forest and Long Logs Trails.

Just remember, you can’t take anything home from any of the national parks. At this park particularly, stealing petrified wood seems to be an issue. How sad is that?

Where to stay while visiting Petrified Forest National Park

There are many options where you can stay while your visit to Petrified Forest National Park. The closest town is called Holbrook, and we recommend either La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham or GreenTree Inn of Holbrook over there.

If you are feeling adventurous or just want to experience something different, then Wigwam Motel might be a right choice for you. We stayed there on our last visit to Petrified Forest National Park and our kids loved it!

Holbrook is in Najavo County and there are many businesses ran by Native Americans. It is a perfect place to get some jewellery or other crafts, or even to try out some Navajo tacos.

We have also stayed in Flagstaff but the drive from there to the park is about 1 hour and 40 minutes. We stayed in Aiden by Best Western and it was great.

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We had such a great day at Petrified Forest National Park. It is very versatile and there are some great hiking trails there. We are honestly a little surprised that it isn’t so well known as many other parks are.

The park was not crowded at all and there was plenty of space on the trails and parking lots. We did not see any lines at anywhere.

I would definitely recommend it for those who love hiking but it is also great if you just want to drive it through and stop at the sites. Here are our tips to hiking with kids.

Other interesting places close by are Meteor Crater, Walnut Canyon and of course, the famous Grand Canyon.

Which of these places look the most interesting to you?