Petrified Forest National Park is a completely underrated park in Arizona full of historic and natural wonders. The parks main claim to fame is the petrified logs dating back to 200 million years ago when the park was covered in a lush, green, tropical landscape. Now, these trees turned to stone sit atop rolling sand in the middle of the Painted Desert. Add to that the historical significance of the area to native peoples and the iconic Route 66 running through the middle of the park. What you’re left with is an amazing piece of history for you to explore. Our Petrified Forest Travel Guide will give you all the information you need to plan your trip to this National Park!
Petrified Wood
So what is petrified wood and why do you want to see it? Well you should want to see it because it’s pretty. But more than that, the process by which wood petrifies, or turns to stone, is sooo cool. When ancient trees fall, and get buried just right, they fossilize and turn into petrified wood. Petrification is the process of the plant matter being replaced by minerals to become stone. So in the petrified trees, you can still see the bark and rings of the tree, but the texture and weight is that of stone.
Please note, it is illegal to take petrified wood from the park. Please don’t do it. If you’d like some as a souvenir, there are plenty of rock shops in the area that would be happy to sell you some that comes from private land. Some rock shops even give you a free sample just for visiting!
Top Things To Do
When to Visit
Summer and winter months will see extreme temperatures and unpredictable weather. While you can visit during those times, our Petrified Forest travel guide recommends visiting in the spring and fall when temperatures are less extreme. While many national parks are often very crowded, this park is relatively less popular and very spread out so if you’re looking for less crowded times, anytime is good.
Also note that this park is only open from 8am-5pm. They actually barricade the roads off so that people cannot enter outside of these times.
Getting There and Around
To visit Petrified Forest National Park, you’ll need a car. One of the main features of this park is a scenic road that you can use as a detour from Route 66. Our Petrified Forest itinerary requires a car.
If you’re flying, you can fly in to Phoenix or Albuquerque for the best prices on flights. These airports are both between 3-4 hours from Petrified Forest National Park.
What to Budget
The entrance fee for a car and everyone in it is $25. However, if you’re going to be going to be making additional stops on your Arizona road trip, we recommend purchasing the America the Beautiful National Parks pass for $80.
You can easily find hotels in Winslow or Holbrook for under $100, with most being in the $80 range. There are plenty of budget friendly chain motels in the area. However, luxury accommodations and rental properties are harder to find. Camping in the area is available at private campgrounds. Expect to pay around $30 for a tent site.
For food, you’ll need to pack a lunch. Food is only located at the entrance to the park. We recommend packing a picnic and eating it at one of the beautiful viewpoints in the park so you don’t have to backtrack.
What to Pack
Temperatures in the park very wildly. So be sure to pack clothing that you can layer. While deserts are hot, clouds and wind can make things cool so make sure to pack a jacket. You’ll also be doing a fair amount of hiking if you follow our suggested 1-day itinerary, so make sure to pack comfortable shoes and socks.
The desert sun can ruin a vacation so make sure to pack sunscreen, sunglass, a hat and plenty of water bottles. We love hydration backpacks for adventures like this as it allows us to carry our water in our backpacks.
Safety
Remember Petrified Forest is in the middle of the Painted Desert. As such, you’ll want to make sure that you pack plenty of water. Water stations are located at both the Painted Desert Visitor Center and the Rainbow Forest Museum. Be sure to stock up when entering the park for your day of exploring.
Again, you’re in the middle of a desert so stay on the marked paths as you could easily get disoriented and lost if you decide to go off road. Staying on the trails also helps to protect the fragile ecosystems.
We hope that all of this Petrified Forest travel guide, combined with our 1-day complete itinerary, will help you to plan the perfect trip to this amazing destination. With the truly unique natural wonders, we know that you’ll find Petrified Forest National Park just as amazing as we did.
Sounds like you covered everything. Makes me want to see that agate bridge! Thanks for the tips. Especially on lodging.
Thanks for the compliment! I appreciate it. I hope you get to visit soon!
I didn’t know such place existed! I have only seen petrified wood in antique stores selling furniture made it is petrified wood
Yes! It is amazing to see. There are also a ton of stores selling petrified wood furniture and art nearby.