Petrified Forest just may be one of the most underrated National Parks in the US. Enjoy the mesmerizing Painted Desert, the giant fallen trees and the serene quiet of the park in our Petrified Forest itinerary. Of all the parks in Arizona, this one beat every expectation!
Visiting Petrified Forest National Park was like taking a walk through history. The ancient petrified wood dates back to prehistoric times when the land was green and lush. The abandoned Route 66 reminds visitors of of a more recent history, full of small towns and backroads. These two histories combine in the quiet Painted Desert to create a unique and memorable experience.
Our Petrified Forest itinerary will allow you to explore all of the park in one day. We’ll share with you how to see all of the park, how to adjust the itinerary, where to stay and more!
Where to Stay
There are no campgrounds or hotels in the park itself. However, backcountry camping is permitted in the park with a permit. We would recommend staying in Winslow or Holbrook. Holbrook is closer, but is a smaller town with fewer offerings. Winslow is a great place to stay and will make it easy to add Meteor Crater to your plans like we did on our ultimate Arizona road trip. However, staying in Winslow does add some driving time to your day.
Or you could link your Petrified Forest trip with Canyon de Chelly like we did and stay in Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
Petrified Forest Itinerary
You can easily visit Petrified forest as a loop, from Holbrook or as a detour from Route 66. Since we were traveling east along Route 66 we visited the park from south to north. However, if you’re heading west on route 66, you can easily reverse our Petrified Forest itinerary to save you time.
Morning
As with any stop to a National Park, we recommend stopping in at a visitor center and having a chat with a park ranger. Enter the park at the south entrance station and head to the Rainbow Forest Museum. Have a chat with a ranger and learn about the park’s history and the cool things to do. Then take a quick hike through the Giant Logs Trail.
Next, head across the street and complete the Long Logs and Agate House Trail. These trails combine for an easy 2.6 mile hike. This hike is also probably one of the most littered with petrified wood.
Then, hop in the car and head north along the scenic road to Crystal Forest. This short paved trail will give you a view of the desert and a close up glimpse at some large petrified logs.
Continue heading north and stop at Jasper Forest, a view point of several fallen petrified logs.
The next stop on the Petrified forest itinerary is the Agate Bridge. This petrified log bridge is a super cool geological site. It is made a bit less cool by the fact that it is now held up with man made supports, but that just means we all can still enjoy it.
Afternoon
Continue north to the Blue Mesa driving loop. This loop will bring you in to the badlands of the park and has several view points to give you ample opportunities for photos. We ate our picnic lunch at one of these viewpoints. Don’t forget to stop at the short Blue Forest hiking trail for some up close experiences with petrified wood.
Next stop is the Tepees viewpoint. These cone shaped mounds of earth are what gives this viewpoint its name.
The Newspaper rock area is the next stop. This lookout will give you a view of some of the petroglyphs of the park that are said to be the work of the Puebloan people.
Next, stop at the Puerco Pueblo and see ancient homes and petroglyphs on this short trail.
Continue north. Here you’ll cross over Route 66 where you’ll spot an old car marking where Route 66 once was. Then move on to the Painted Desert Inn, stopping at all the viewpoints on the way. At the Painted Desert Inn, which is a museum, learn about the history of Route 66 and this Inn.
Your next stop will be the Painted Desert Rim Trail at Tawa Point. This 1 mile trail will give you views of the painted desert and you’ll learn about some cool rocks in the park.
Before exiting the park, stop at the Painted Desert Visitor Center to learn about the park and gas up before hitting the road.
Want to Adjust the Itinerary?
We completed most of this Petrified Forest itinerary and Meteor Crater in one long day. However, this day would have been much slower paced and less exhausting if we hadn’t included Meteor Crater in the same day. I think one full day for this park is the perfect amount of time. However, if you have more than one day, consider linking this trip with Canyon de Chelly or Meteor Crater.
You could easily visit this park in a half day if you were willing to cut out some of the viewpoints. If you have less time, we would recommend focusing your attention on the southern portion of the park which has a lot more petrified wood to see. If you’re not really history fans, you could also skip the Painted Desert Inn and the Puerco Pueblo to save some time.
If you have any questions or need help planning your itinerary, please leave them in the comments below and we’d be happy to help!
I like the part where you suggested about modifying the itinerary because it gives your readers tips and alternatives. Great photos and tips!
Thanks! It’s always a good idea to have a plan for alternatives, even if you don’t end up needing it.
Gorgeous pictures. Not only are there petrified trees that look like Flintstones wheels, the scenery is lovely.
Thanks so much! We loved the scenery here and the lighting when we visited was fantastic!