Petrified Forest is located in eastern Arizona close to the border of New Mexico. Before visiting Petrified Forest I didn’t have any expectations but after we spent a day there I was completely blown away by how incredible this place was. The landscape, geology, and history here is so fascinating that it is a place that if you have time to stop I would not miss it. The park is comprised of sprawling grasslands and colorful badlands, but the main feature of the park is the numerous petrified trees that can be found here. About 200 million years ago the trees were submerged in a river and buried by sediments. The trees absorbed minerals such as silica and slowly had its molecular structure change overtime. Petrified Forest is one of the parks that is not open 24/7. The gates to the park are open from 8 am to 5 pm.

Crystal Forest: 0.75 miles roundtrip. This paved trail winds you through multiple petrified logs. This is a great trail for anyone short on time, but wants to see the petrified trees up close.

Agate House/Long Logs: 2 miles round trip. This trail is home to the largest concentration of petrified wood in the park, as well as a pueblo constructed with petrified wood. The Agate house is believed to have been occupied about 700 years ago.

There are multiple trails that you can hike that are not marked with a trailhead, but take you “off the beaten path”. If you wish to go on one of these trails you can head to the visitor center where they have handouts with detailed directions on how to navigate. Dan and I hiked the Blue Forest Trail and it was one of our favorite parts of this park.

Blue Forest Trail: 3 mile roundtrip. This trail was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corp connecting the Blue Mesa Roads. This trail climbs up and over the badlands and through some petrified trees.

First Forest Point: 4.2 miles roundtrip. Multiple geologic features can be seen along this route as well as some petroglyphs.

Jasper Forest Hike: 2 miles roundtrip. This trail follows an old road that was originally constructed in the 1930s.

Onyx Bride: 4 miles roundtrip. Following this trail will take you take you to the Onyx Bride a well preserved log from the Black Forest.

Red Basin Clam Beds: 8.5 miles roundtrip. Along this trail you have the opportunity to see more petrified trees, petroglyphs, colorful badlands, and fossil clam beds.

Located off one on the pullouts is a walkway that leads to Newspaper Rock. This area is significant due to the roughly 650 petroglyphs that are etched into multiple rocks. These were made by the Puebloan people that lived in the area from 650 to 2000 years ago. Due to unsafe conditions you cannot physically get down to the rocks so it might be useful to bring your own binoculars. If you do not have your own there are spotting scopes located on the overlook.

There is no lodging within Petrified Forest National Park so you will need to find lodging outside of the park. There is not a whole lot near the park, the closest town to stay in is Holbrook, Arizona. Holbrook is located west of the entrance and is about 25 minutes away. Another option is Gallup, New Mexico which is an hour from the park entrance.