One Day at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona

As you know, we’re on a mission to explore all the National Parks, and hiking through these natural wonders is a top priority on our bucket list. During our unforgettable spring break adventure (more on this!), visiting Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona was a definite highlight. We cherished every moment of our day spent immersed in its unique landscapes. Join us as we recount our experience!

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Read all about the hikes that we’ve conquered!

Table of Contents

Getting Started at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona

Petrified Forest is easy to access off I-40 at exit 311. Before entering, don’t forget to snap a photo with the park sign! Admission is $25 per vehicle, but if you plan to visit multiple National Parks, consider the America the Beautiful Pass for $80—it covers entry to all National Parks for a year.

Tip: Be aware of opening and closing times – they do close gates!

Stop at the Visitor Center

As with all National Parks, I think it’s best to start at the Visitor Center. Petrified Forest National Park has a few visitor centers. Since we were starting from north to south, we visited the north entrance. The rangers and staff are always helpful. While here make sure to go ahead and get a Junior Ranger Booklet. The kids can easily work on it while you drive through the park and submit it at the South Entrance Visitor Center.

Tip: Don’t forget to get your National Park Passport Book stamped here.

Make way to the Painted Desert Diner and gift shop across the way which has a penny machine too. We were pleasantly surprised to find Navajo fry bread.

See the Painted Desert

The gorgeous Painted Desert is a definite sight to see. You can either pull over for views like this or take the Tawa trail.

Pull off over for those views

One of the best things about Petrified Forest is that you can easily drive from one entrance to the other. It’s only 28 miles. Along the way, there are plenty of scenic pull offs.

Painted Desert Inn

Route 66

Petrified Forest is the only National Park that crosses Route 66. Be sure to stop by the iconic 1932 Studebaker and snap a photo!

Stop by Holbrook and Winslow for more kitschy Route 66 fun!

Drive the Blue Mesa Trail

You can either drive the 3.5-mile Blue Mesa loop or get down and hike 1-mile trail. Although we only drove through, the views were amazing. I can imagine how amazing it would be to be up close to it.

See Newspaper Rock

Stop at the overlook above Newspaper Rock. Using the spotting scopes, you can see over 650 petroglyphs some over 2,000 years old etched into the stone, the National Park Service says.

Crystal Forest Trail

If you really want to get up close and personal with the petrified wood, this was the perfect trail at only .75 miles. It was short and sweet a great way to get up close and personal with the wood.

Stop one more time at Visitor Center again

Old Faithful in all its glory

We made one final stop at the Rainbow Forest Museum to turn in our Junior Ranger booklets and badges. Make sure to step outside to check out the gigantic logs on the Giant Logs Trail including “Old Faithful” spanning 10 feet across its base. What a fun time!

Tip: Afterwards, leave the park and stop by any of the gift shops. If you ask, they’ll give you a free piece of petrified wood.

More time? What we would do at Petrified Forest National Park

Had we had more time to explore these are things we would have done:

Hike the Blue Mesa trail
Hike through Jasper Forest
See Puerco Pueblo highlighting ancestral homes off the .3 mile trail

Tips to Enjoy Petrified Forest National Park

Do try to get out and do a hike. Although you can certainly just drive through, getting out actually seeing the petrified food was amazing!
Get food at the Visitor Center. We enjoyed our Navajo Fry bread at the Painted Desert Diner (by north visitor center.)
Make sure to get gas beforehand. There is gas available at the Painted Desert Visitor Center.
Do not even think about taking any petrified wood
Lodging is not available in the park

Have you been to Petrified Forest National Park before? What is your favorite thing to do there?