Petrified Forest National Park is one of the easiest national parks to add to a road trip. A single 28-mile road crosses it from north to south, linking Interstate 40 to US Route 180 in eastern Arizona, and the drive takes about an hour without stops. Along the way you get the colorful badlands of the Painted Desert, logs of stone more than 200 million years old and a preserved stretch of Route 66.
Here is how to drive Petrified Forest National Park from end to end, what to stop for and how much time to give it.
Driving Petrified Forest National Park end to end
The north end connects with I-40 near the Painted Desert Visitor Center; the south end meets US 180 at the Rainbow Forest Museum. Because the road runs straight through, you can enter at one end and leave at the other without backtracking, which suits travelers driving I-40.
A few practical points:
- The park road and visitor centers are open from 8 am to 5 pm. The park closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, so the clock in the park can differ from neighboring states in summer.
- The entrance fee is $25 per private vehicle for seven days. The park does not accept cash.
- The park has a gas station, a convenience store and a small diner.
A short history of the park
President Theodore Roosevelt created Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906, and it became a national park in 1962. Today the park boundary encloses about 221,390 acres, and roughly a third of the park is designated wilderness. The rocks that hold its fossils were laid down between about 208 and 225 million years ago, and the fossil-rich Chinle Formation reaches up to 800 feet thick here. The park is about more than wood: a phytosaur skull, from a crocodile-like reptile, was found near Blue Mesa in 1919.
The Painted Desert at the north end
The northern section is the Painted Desert, layered hills of red, pink and gray rock from the Chinle Formation. A series of overlooks along the rim makes for easy stops, and the Painted Desert Rim Trail links Tawa Point and Kachina Point.
About 2 miles in sits the Painted Desert Inn, a National Historic Landmark since 1987, open from 9 am to 4 pm. The Painted Desert Visitor Center near the north entrance was designed by the architect Richard Neutra.
Route 66 inside the park
Petrified Forest is the only national park site that contains a segment of the historic Route 66 alignment. The highway was established in 1926 and decommissioned in 1985. At a pullout about 4 miles past the Painted Desert Inn, a line of old telephone poles and a raised roadbed mark where the road once crossed the park, with a restored 1932 car on display. For anyone following Route 66 across Arizona, this stop is a fitting break between Holbrook and the New Mexico line.
Petrified wood and ancient sites in the south
South of I-40 and the railroad, the scenery turns to petrified wood. The logs date from the Late Triassic, roughly 225 million years ago, when the area was crossed by rivers and the trees were buried in sediment before turning to stone.
- Puerco Pueblo: the remains of a village of about 200 rooms, last occupied around 1380.
- Newspaper Rock: a boulder covered in petroglyphs, seen from an overlook on a short spur road.
- The Tepees: cone-shaped badland hills on the east side of the road.
- Blue Mesa: a loop road through blue-gray badlands scattered with petrified logs.
- Crystal Forest: a trail among broken petrified logs.
- Giant Logs and Agate House: behind the Rainbow Forest Museum, the largest logs, and a short walk away, a small pueblo built from petrified wood.
Do not take any wood. Removing petrified wood is prohibited, and theft has long been a problem in the park.
Suggested stops from north to south
- Painted Desert Visitor Center and the rim overlooks.
- Painted Desert Inn, about 2 miles in.
- Route 66 pullout, about 4 miles farther.
- Puerco Pueblo, about 5 miles farther.
- Newspaper Rock spur, about a mile farther.
- The Tepees, a couple of miles on.
- Blue Mesa loop, Crystal Forest and, about 12 miles past the Tepees, the Rainbow Forest Museum and Giant Logs.
How much time to plan
The National Park Service suggests about an hour to drive the road end to end. With a few hours, you can stop at the Painted Desert Inn, the Route 66 pullout, Newspaper Rock, Puerco Pueblo, Blue Mesa and the Giant Logs. A half day adds the Long Logs and Agate House trails. A full day or more makes room for off-trail hikes or a night in the wilderness area.
Petrified Forest pairs well with a visit to the Grand Canyon: both sit just off I-40 in northern Arizona, so a road trip can cover the canyon’s South Rim and the Painted Desert in consecutive days. It is a quieter, shorter stop that rounds out a tour of the national parks worth driving across the country for.
FAQ
Can you drive through Petrified Forest National Park?
Yes. The 28-mile park road runs between I-40 at the north end and US 180 at the south end, and takes about an hour without stops.
Is Route 66 really inside the park?
Yes. A pullout marks the old alignment, and the park is the only national park site with a segment of Route 66.
Can you take a piece of petrified wood?
No. Collecting wood in the park is prohibited.
What are the park hours?
8 am to 5 pm, every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas.
