Petrified Forest National Park
Trip Assistant
How Much Time?
With no overnight accommodations beyond backpacking in the wilderness, it’s really a drive-thru park. But if you really enjoy petrified wood, you should stick around and hike through Jasper Forest and around Lithodendron Wash (Wilderness Access Trail). Most people drive the road, stop at a few viewpoints, and stretch their legs at spots like Blue Mesa, Crystal Forest, and Long Logs/Agate House. That’s perfectly fine. There’s a lot to see in this corner of the country.
Need to Know
- The park is gated and hours change from season to season, but it’s basically open from sunrise to sunset.
- The only way to spend the night in the park is backpacking in the wilderness area.
- The easiest-to-find petrified wood specimens are all on the park’s southern half (Giant Logs, Long Logs, Crystal Forest, Jasper Forest, Blue Mesa). There are many in the north too, but it takes more effort (hiking the Wilderness Access Trail).
Highlights
- Blue Mesa
- Painted Desert
- Crystal Forest
- Giant Logs
- Rainbow Forest Museum
- Kachina and Chinde Points
- Newspaper Rock
Activities
- Hiking
- Backpacking
- Horseback Riding
- Biking
Favorite Trails
Easy
Moderate Strenuous *Links to AllTrailsWhen To Go?
Weather
Visitation
It gets cold overnight in winter, but this place covered in snow can be magical. Summer is most popular, but, like with many of the parks, spring and fall tend to be the best times to visit due to a combination of smaller crowds and pleasant weather.
Park Map Downloads
Road Trips
Helpful Tools
Below you'll see a Google Map to help plan road trips from the east (Albuquerque, NM), north (Great Sand Dunes), west (Grand Canyon), and south (Saguaro). It’s a good start, but I’d highly recommend making your own. Google My Maps, Wanderlog, and TripIt are incredibly useful trip planning tools. Find what works best for you!
There’s much more to our country. Here’s another Google Map with points of interest across all types of public land.
For campers, here’s a Google Map with National Forest campgrounds. National Park campgrounds are difficult to reserve (there are about 200!). With nearly 5,000 national forest campgrounds, you can usually pull in and find a spot.Albuquerque, NM
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