Petrified Forest National Park has a unique landscape, where an ancient forest’s history has become set in dazzling stone. Spanning over 200,000 acres, the park protects one of the largest and most vibrant concentrations of petrified wood in the world. You might ask yourself, what *IS* a petrified forest? More on this below, but in short, massive logs, once part of a forest, have transformed into glittering stone, scattered across the desert floor. Due to its proximity along I-40 and Highway 180, this park makes for a nice way to break up a road trip. It’s worth a stop even if you’re short on time! You don’t need to stay all day to gain an appreciation for the diversity here.
Having recently driven from southern California to Texas, the Petrified Forest quite literally snuck up on me. I was more focused on planning the move logistics than the road trip itinerary, so I was shocked to see a road-side sign announcing an upcoming national park. I decided to take the unexpected detour, and I recommend you do as well! Even a brief visit still delivers a memorable experience. The combination of ancient fossilized trees, vibrant badlands, and scenic viewpoints makes it a stop that’s well worth pulling over for.
It’s worth noting, there are more robust itineraries, but this is a reference for anyone looking for a FAST visit. Like a swing through, have-an-experience-but-still-get-where-we-need-to-be itinerary. There are two versions of this stop– one for visitors traveling along Highway 180 and another for those traveling along I-40.
Fast Facts About Petrified Forest National Park
Size: 221,390 acres
Visitors: 559,254 visitors annually (data from 2024)
Distance from Sedona Airport: 150 miles — ~2.5 hour drive
National Park Initiation: Petrified Forest upgraded from a national monument to a national park on December 9th, 1962.
Fun Fact: this is the only national park property that contains a portion of the Historic Route 66
A Petrified….. Forest???
The visitor center will give you a more robust explanation, but in case you’re wondering what the heck is a petrified forest, we’ve got the 30-second skinny. Approximately 3-8 million years ago, the trees currently found in the park, died, floated along an ancient river system, formed log jams and eventually became buried in sediment. Various minerals in the sediment absorbed into the porous wood, and over thousands of years crystallized within the tree’s cellular structure. As the tree’s original organic material broke down, the crystals remained!
The I-40 route
The petrified trees are the namesake of this park, so the downside of driving along I-40 is that the northern region is less petrified forest and more painted hills. The painted desert-scape is certainly beautiful— vaguely reminiscent of Badlands National Park, but alas, minimally petrified.
The Painted Desert Visitor Center
At the barest of bare minimums, you want to stop by the Painted Desert Visitor Center. You can skim through the history of the park and take in the sweeping desert views. Stamp your park-passport, check out the exhibits, buy a postcard or two, and keep moving!
The Painted Desert Rim Trail
If you’re looking to get out and stretch your legs a little, the Painted Desert Rim Trail is one of the easiest ways to experience the park’s painted desert scenery up close. This flat, paved path follows the edge of the desert, connecting a couple viewpoints while showcasing quite the panorama of the striped badlands. Clocking in just under 1.5 miles, it’s a perfect length to stretch your legs, without setting your back too much time-wise.
Viewpoints & Overloops
Driving along the Painted Desert overlooks is a highlight in itself, with each viewpoint offering a slightly different angle on the park’s layered terrain. You definitely don’t need to stop at every single overlook to appreciate the scenery—honestly, they can start to blend together—so it’s perfectly fine to pull over at just one or two that catch your eye! I think Kachina was my favorite, but you really can’t go wrong.
Crystal Forest Trail
If you’re looking to stretch a little farther into the park, the Crystal Forest Trail offers a completely different perspective! Reaching this area does require about a 30-minute drive from the Painted Desert section, but the change in scenery makes it worth the extra time— how many opportunities are there in life to check out some petrified wood deposits?? Just imagine, logs that sparkle! The hike itself is less than a mile, so easy to handle, even on a warm day.
Admittedly, tacking on this hike, will extend your time in the park to be greater than an hour. Good to know about if you have a little wiggle room but the first thing to get eliminated if you’re on a bare-bones adventure.
The Highway 180 route
If you’re driving along Highway 180, there’s a completely different itinerary, and lucky for you, it does include some petrified trees (compared to the painted hills in the northern part of the park). In the below list, each stop takes you a little further into the park. However, even if you’re really tight on time, it’s possible to swing through the museum PLUS go on a short hike and still be back on the road in less than 30 minutes!
Just a reminder, you can access the whole park from either entrance– this is just a ‘fast-road-trip-stop’ itinerary!
Rainbow Forest Museum
Less than three miles off Highway 180, you’ll find the Rainbow Forest Museum and Visitor Center. Even when you’re tight on time, it’s always nice to at least swing by the visitor center. Especially when it’s also a museum! The exhibits make for an immersive way to understand how the ancient trees transformed into stone over millions of years.
Giant Logs Trail
The trailhead for the Giant Logs Trail begins literally right outside the Rainbow Forest Museum, making these two an easy bare-minimum experience. This trail is really just a wilderness walk, clocking in around 0.5 miles. A perfect length to check out Old Faithful and Mather Plaque— really see a huge, petrified tree, and be on your merry way.
Crystal Forest Trail
Getting to the Crystal Forest Trail only brings you about 15 min into the park (~8 miles)– making this a perfect add-on to your short stop. At just-under 1 miles, this wilderness walk offers a slightly more immersive experience, with a loop that winds through a dense concentration of petrified wood fragments. Compared to the Giant Logs Trail, the logs here are smaller slices, but contain more of the sparkling, visible quartz crystals.
**this is where the itineraries overlap— this is the same trail mentioned above, on the I-40 route
Blue Mesa Road Loop
Getting to the Blue Mesa Road takes about 30 minutes (from Highway 180), but it’s quite the scenic road! While the previous stops have been investigating the petrified logs, this drive is more focused on the layered badlands. There’s 7 pullouts along the loop, to stop and take in the scenery. There’s also a short Blue Mesa Trail (1 mile) at the bottom that provides a closer look at the terrain— time permitting!
These are options for a fast drive-by trip, but if you have a little extra time, you can drive through the park. For example, if you are headed east on I-40, as you approach Holbrook, take HWY-180 east and then take the Petrified Forest Road north. This will re-connect with I-40, allowing you to seamlessly continue driving east on I-40!
The Petrified Forest was an unexpected as I was making my cross-country trek! I hope you find similar enjoyment from the sparkling forest and painted hills. Even if you’re short on time, this makes for a worthwhile stop! The southwestern pocket of the US has so many unique treasures, and this is certainly one of them.
Happy travels!
A literal life saving queen, Kayla Grace is an Army nurse in southern California. She can be found patching patients up in the emergency department but is equally likely to be spotted out hiking or backpacking. She is also quite the coffee connoisseur, and she will go out of her way to find a local coffee shop when she visits somewhere new!
