One Day In Petrified Forest National Park: Complete Guide & Driving Itinerary

Petrified Forest National Park is home to one of the highest concentrations of petrified wood in the world! At this park you’ll see thousands of fossilized trees containing brilliantly-colored quartz and amethyst crystals.

But it’s not the park’s only remarkable feature; it is also home to colorful badlands as well as ancient ruins and petroglyphs from ancestral Puebloan people!

Ancient trees, ancient architecture, and ancient art work in one place?? Sounds like a must visit destination right?! What’s more, Petrified Forest National Park is the only park in the national park system containing a section of historic Route 66!!

In this complete guide to visiting Petrified Forest National Park, you’ll learn how to see the park’s highlights in one day, how to get there, the best time of year to visit, where to stay, and much more.

Where Is Petrified Forest National Park?

Petrified Forest National Park is located in northeastern Arizona. Although the park is situated in a remote part of the state, it is not difficult to reach due to it being positioned right off Interstate-40 (a well traveled highway connecting the east and west coasts).

If you’re flying in to visit the park, the closest major airports are in Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Driving distances are below:

• Phoenix, Arizona: 212 miles (3.5 hours)
• Albuquerque, New Mexico: 208 miles (3 hours)

How To Get To Petrified Forest National Park

The best way to reach the park is on a road trip! If you’re driving between California and New Mexico, Texas or Oklahoma, be sure to add a stop in the park to your driving itinerary.

Driving from the east, you should enter from the park’s north entrance on I-40. And if you are driving from the west, you should enter from the park’s south entrance on US-180.

Petrified Forest National Park is positioned along historic Route 66. If you are taking a road trip through Arizona’s portion of Route 66, a stop in this national park is a must!

Do you need a rental car? We believe Enterprise always have the best rental rates, but if you want to shop around check rentalcars.com where you can compare rental car prices. You can also search for campervan rentals here.

When Is The Best Time To Visit Petrified Forest National Park?

Any time of the year is a good time to visit Petrified Forest National Park! I know it’s a rare occurence, but you can come to this park during any month and have a good time. It doesn’t get excruciatingly hot or painfully cold here.

The only annoyance is the wind. Northeastern Arizona is the windiest part of the state due to the lightly vegetated plateaus and valleys found here that do nothing to stop the breeze. Spring and late winter are the windiest times of the year with wind gusts regularly reaching 40 to 60 miles per hour!

Spring: This is a great time to visit when days are warm (60-80°) with little chance of precipitation. Starting in May wildflowers will begin to bloom.

Summer: Expect hot and dry weather with daily high temperatures ranging between 90° and 100° degrees. Since Petrified Forest National Park sits at an elevation of 5,400 feet, it won’t get quite as hot here as other parts of Arizona.

Something to keep in mind about visiting during summer is that July through September is monsoon season when severe thunderstorms become a regular occurrence. Although it can be a beautifully dramatic sight to witness a storm rolling through, flash flooding becomes a serious threat. Also keep in mind lightening can be hazardous here since you’ll likely be the tallest object in the landscape.

Autumn: This is a good time to visit since temperatures are cooler and also because the park will be less busy with the summer holiday period being over.

Winter: Winter at Petrified Forest National Park can be very chilly with day temperatures ranging between 40° and 50° degrees. Snow can occur from as early as October to as late as March but usually consist of light snow flurries.

How To Spend One Day In Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park is one of the few national parks that you can visit in one day. There is only one road through the entire park and only a handful of short hiking trails. If you get to the park early in the morning, you can see everything without having to rush through seeing any of the park’s popular features.

The one main thing you’ll need to consider is whether you want to start your drive from the park’s north entrance or south entrance.

Generally it is advised that if you are coming from the east you should enter from the north entrance, and if you are coming from the west you should enter from the south entrance. Then you can exit the park from the opposite entrance without needing to backtrack.

The northern section of the park encompasses the Painted Desert, a vast landscape of colorful badlands, while the southern section is where you’ll find what you likely came here to see — petrified trees!

If you’ve only got one or two hours to spend inside the park, you should consider prioritizing the southern section of the park where all of the petrified wood is concentrated. Otherwise you’ll run the risk of missing out on seeing the park’s namesake feature.

Unlike other national parks, this national park closes at 5pm! And trust me, it is strictly enforced.

Best Stops On A Driving Tour Through Petrified Forest National Park (from North to South)

There is only one road through Petrified Forest National Park; the aptly named Petrified Forest Road. It travels from the north entrance on Interstate-40 to the south entrance at U.S. Highway 180.

The 27-mile road takes approximately 45 minutes to drive without stopping. Here is a guide to all of the best stops along Petrified Forest Road starting from the north entrance. You will find information about each of the stops to help you plan your own driving itinerary. Sit back and enjoy the virtual tour below!

Painted Desert Visitor Center

Less than half a mile from the northern entrance is the Painted Desert Visitor Center. It is quite small as far as national park visitor centers go but nonetheless is a good stop to learn about the park’s geology and ecology.

There are rangers onsite that can answer any questions you may have. Rangers here are also happy to stamp your children’s national parks passport too. The Visitor Center is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Painted Desert Diner & Oasis Gift Shop

Across from the park’s visitor center is the Painted Desert Diner and Painted Desert Oasis Gift Shop. The gift store is huge and well-stocked with beautiful souvenirs and gifts. You’ll find a variety of unique items including petrified wood you can take home with you.

At the diner is a small selection of menu items that include hamburgers, hot chips, hot dogs, burritos, and the like. The highlight is the Navajo Tacos, a MUST-TRY food item if you’ve never tried it before!

Are you wondering what Navajo tacos are? Put simply, it’s just taco ingredients placed on top of fry bread. It’s the fry bread that makes it so special. Fry bread is a deep-fried doughy bread that is a dish of indigenous North Americans. And it is so delicious!

Something to keep in mind (especially if you are starting the drive through Petrified Forest National Park from the south entrance) is that the gift store hours are 8am to 5pm and the diner’s hours are 8am to 4pm. So if you want to try those Indian tacos, you’ll have to hurry!

This is the only place inside the park where you can get food. If you don’t get here before the cafeteria closes, you’ll have to drive all the way back to Holbrook!

Tiponi Point

Tiponi Point is the first of eight overlooks of the Painted Desert (this stop is just two miles past the visitor center and has a huge parking lot that can accommodate RVs and trailers).

The Painted Desert is made up of sandstone and mudstone formations that are part of the Chinle Formation which were deposited during the late Triassic Period from 227 to 205 million years ago.

Today, the rocks that can be seen during your visit are due to the burial, uplifing and erosion of this Chinle Formation over many millenia.

This landscape is about 120 miles long by 60 miles wide and includes all of Petrified Forest National Park. From Tiponi Point you can only see a small portion of it.

Travel Tip: There are eight overlooks of the Painted Desert which include Tiponi Point, Tawa Point, Kachina Point, Chinde Point, Pintado Point, Nizhoni Point, Whipple Point, and Lacey Point. If you don’t have much time, choose a handful to visit as most have similar views.

Tawa Point

Tawa Point is the second vista point overlooking the Painted Desert. What makes this stop worthwhile (besides the marvelous views) is that there is a short hiking trail that allows you to soak up the scenery.

From Tawa Point you can take a short stroll on Painted Desert Rim Trail, a one-mile roundtrip hike that travels along the canyon rim offering remarkable views. Several information panels explain the geology and history of the area.

Painted Desert Inn & Museum

The Painted Desert Inn is a national historic landmark that sits on a mesa overlooking the vast and colorful Painted Desert. It was built in the Pueblo Revival style, and once served passengers traveling on the Santa Fe Railway.

Although it no longer operates as a hotel or restaurant, the museum is a worthwhile stop to see its extraordinary architectural details and displays which include locally-made pottery and murals by Hopi artists.

Chinde Point Overlook & Picnic Area

Chinde Point is an overlook of the Painted Desert. In Navajo, the word Chinde refers to the ghost left behind after a person dies.

To get to this overlook you’ll need to take a spur road. The nice thing about this overlook is that there is a large picnic area with sheltered picnic tables. There is talk of this site becoming a campground in the future which would be a great addition to the park.

One interesting fact about this particular site is that fossil bones of Chindesaurus Bryansmalli, an early dinosaur, was first discovered at this location in 1984.

Lacey Point

Lacey Point is another overlook of the Painted Desert. The view looks towards Pintado Point and Pilot Rock, both capped with the basalt Bidahochi Formation above the red Chinle Formation of the Painted Desert.

Route 66

Route 66 is a legendary highway that was once the ultimate road trip for Americans. Stretching over 2,200 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, and traveling through eight states including Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, this heavily traveled highway was not only a road but a symbol of opportunity and adventure.

Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park that contained a section of the original highway. And no stretch of Route 66 was as isolated and desolate than the section found in northeastern Arizona within Petrified Forest National Park.

The section of Route 66 in Petrified Forest was closed in 1958, however park officials wanted to commemorate the iconic “Main Street of America” by showcasing the exact location it passed through the park.

A rusted 1932 Studebaker now stands along the former route to symbolize the allure of travel during that era. It is perhaps the most photographed abandoned car in the country!

Puerco Pueblo

Puerco Pueblo are the ruins of a village that was built 700 years ago by Puebloans (also known as the Anasazi). The site had two periods of occupation each lasting about one century; from 1100 to 1200 and 1300–1400.

The pueblo was built out of sandstone blocks in a rectangular shape that surrounded an interior plaza. The single story building consisted of 100 rooms and had no windows or doors — entry was via a ladder.

These early inhabitants used the flood plain of the Puerco River to cultivate corn, beans, and squash. They also made baskets and colored pottery.

So where did the Puebloans go? By the late 1300s, a series of climatic events occurred which caused the inhabitants to abandon the location leaving the village completely deserted by 1380.

Today you can visit the foundations of the old pueblo village along a paved loop trail. The trail is only 0.3 miles and worth making the stop for on your driving tour. Not only will you see ruins but also several petroglyphs on nearby rocks.

At the end of the loop trail is a small building that serves as a museum with more information and artifacts about the ancestral Puebloan people.

Newspaper Rock

Newspaper Rock is the site of over 650 petrogylphs. Unlike the name suggests, it is not a single rock but rather several rocks that contain the rock carvings. Either way, there is a huge concentration of petroglyphs in the one place here!

Experts believe the high concentration of petroglyphs indicate that this was a significant site of early inhabitants. Scrawled into stones by generations of Pueblo people living in the area, this is a great stop if your interests include anthropology.

Unfortuntanately you can only view the rocks from an overlook high above the site. There are three mounted binoculars to help you get a better look but they aren’t very good quality, so if you have your own binoculars bring them with you (I keep mine under the car seat for situations just like this).

The Teepees

The Teepees are pyramid-shaped badlands that rise from salt flats in the middle of the park. The zebra striped mountain’s red, white, and gray colors come from iron, manganese, and other mineral deposits.

There is a pull off to stop for photo opportunities — it is one of the most photogenic areas in the park!

Blue Forest Trail: Do you like adventure? Then consider hiking the Blue Forest Trail! It is a secret, off-the-beaten-path hike that winds through colorful blue and white badlands. The three mile trail begins at The Teepees and ends at Blue Mesa.

Blue Mesa

Blue Mesa is an area of the park where badlands dominate the landscape. The badlands in this section of the park are different from those found at the Painted Desert in the north. Instead of red and orange painted hills, the badlands here are colored by blue, purple, peach, and grey hues.

To get there, you’ll need to take Blue Mesa Scenic Road, a three mile spur road which is well marked. There are several overlooks once you reach the end of the road.

While it is cool to see these badlands from above, they are even more impressive hiking among them! There is a one-mile gravel trail that descends below the rim of the mesa which will take you through the blue mounds.

Agate Bridge

Agate Bridge is an exposed petrified log spanning a gully at Agate Mesa. Once upon a time, visitors were allowed to stand on the “bridge”. Now due to preservation efforts, you cannot get close to the landmark tree.

In 1911, conservationists reinforced the fallen tree by placing it on top of a concrete bridge, therefore it is not as natural in appearance as it once was.

Jasper Forest

Jasper Forest has one of the largest collections of petrified wood. A drive along Jasper Forest Road (a spur road) will lead you to an overlook with panoramic views of the “forest”.

If you want to get closer to the petrified trees, you can take the 2.5 mile Jasper Forest Trail which follows an old road built in the 1930s to a garden of petrified trees.

Crystal Forest

Crystal Forest, the section of the park that visitors are most excited to see! This area has a massive amount of petrified logs scattered thoughout a desert landscape.

You’ll need to take a short stroll along a 0.9 mile trail to get you to the stunningly-colored crystalized logs. Don’t worry, it’s a mostly flat and easy loop trail.

Where To Stay Near Petrified Forest National Park

There are no hotels or campgrounds inside this national park. The closest town with lodging is 25 miles away in Holbrook. The good news is that accommodation in Holbrook is inexpensive.

Route 66 runs straight through Holbrook. This small town is full of kitschy roadside Americana complete with neon lights and even an original wigwam motel! Here are our recommendations on where to stay in Holbrook:

Brad’s Desert Inn: This quirky motel on Route 66 is full of character. It’s a great place to stay if you want to experience that classic 1950s Route 66 vibe. There are only seven rooms and nightly rates are low so you should book in advance if you want to stay here.

Best Western Arizonian Inn: The Best Western offers clean and spacious rooms at reasonable rates. The property features an outdoor pool, and all stays come with a free buffet breakfast. You certainly can’t go wrong here!

Wigwam Motel: Have you ever wanted to stay in a wigwam? In Holbrook you can! Immerse yourself completely in the Route 66 experience by booking a stay in one of the teepees at Wigwam Motel. Not only will you find vintage cars parked in front of the teepees but petrified wood scattered throughout the parking lot.

La Quinta Inn & Suites: The La Quinta is as good as it gets in Holbrook! This highly rated hotel has large, clean rooms, in-room amenities, and an indoor pool. Breafast is included.

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Have you got any questions about visiting Petrified Forest National Park? Or do you have any of your own helpful advice you want to share? Let us know in the comments below.