Petrified Forest National Park Travel Guide
Petrified Forest National Park is filled with— you guessed it— petrified wood in a rainbow of colors.
You may remember we’ve already visited a national park in Arizona, but it’s a big place and there’s plenty to see! Sometimes the scale of these parks can be deceiving. Most are so large that there’s no way you could see an entire park in a day, let alone all the parks in one state, so plan accordingly!
Check out our travel video of Petrified Forest National Park here and keep reading below all the details of the national park.
Petrified Forest National Park Quick Stats
Size: 221,390 acres
Location: Northeastern Arizona
National Park Established In: 1962
Best For: Scenic drives, hiking, geology, desert vistas, historic landmarks
WHAT TO DO:
This park is like an art installation in the desert, and is best for hiking, biking, geocaching.
Mini Adventure:
Drive though the park and hike the Crystal Forest Trail, which is an accessible, paved trail with beautiful views of the petrified wood.
Mega Adventure:
Backpack through the rainbow forest on an overnight adventure. You can get backpacking permits at the visitor’s center and sleep under the stars!
WHAT WE DID:
We hiked the Blue Mesa Trail, 3.5 miles of beautiful views of the rainbow forest. Keep in mind, the trees are ancient and aren’t the kind that provide good shade, so make sure to bring a hat and slather on your sunscreen.
After stretching our legs, we drove the entire park from one end to the other, stopping at different viewpoints around Painted Desert.
When to Go:
Spring (30 to 70 degrees) and fall (28 to 84 degrees) will be the most temperate and least rainy. Summer (52 to 102 degrees) is typically rain-free, although hot. Winter can be sub-freezing and more prone to rain.
Where to Stay:
Like many national parks, no vehicle camping is allowed inside the park. Holbrook, AZ, is twenty miles west of the park and offers campgrounds, hotel chains, motels, and our favorite for home-on-wheels travel, a KOA!
Where did we stay?
We parked our Airstream at our trusty nearby KOA, then drove our truck from the KOA to the park.
Where to eat:
We packed a great lunch and plenty of snacks. Kids carry their own food and water in their backpacks.
Here’s what we use on every adventure.
Fun Fact:
Petrified Forest National Park is less than 3 hour drive to another great national park that you may have heard of— Grand Canyon National Park!
If you plan on traveling to two national parks in one year, it is worth it to purchase the Annual Pass. We purchased ours in our home state at the Hot Springs National Park , but you can buy them at any National Park.
KID FRIENDLY?
Yes, there are so many benefits to hiking with kids. It’s a great opportunity to teach real life lessons about risk and safety. It also allows them to be in nature, be creative, and to create their own adventure.
There are so many great things to stop and explore, so the kids get to be in charge of what they want to explore. A hike is kind of a kid’s curiosity playground. They get to jump on rocks, play in a puddle, ask tons of questions, etc.
Here’s what I take on every hike.
JR. RANGER PROGRAM:
This is such a great way to get the kids involved and really get excited about the park. You can go on the park website and download all the information and resources and print it beforehand so you can learn about it with your kids before you go. Then you’d turn your booklet into a ranger at the visitors center and receive your Jr. Ranger pins, or you can wait until you get to the National Park (that’s what we do), and receive a beautifully colorful workbook, do the activities while at the National Park, then head back to the visitors center (before they close) and receive the pins.
Either is great! We love the workbook the parks provide, and it means we don’t have to figure out where to get the content printed.
HERE’S WHAT I BOUGHT TO MAKE THIS EVEN MORE FUN FOR THE KIDS
PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK PASSPORT STAMP LOCATIONS:
Navajo County Historic Courthouse/Museum - Visitor Center
100 E Arizona St. Holbrook, AZ 86025
Painted Desert Visitor Center
1 Park Rd, Concho, AZ 86028
Rainbow Forest Museum
6618 Petrified Forest Rd, Holbrook, Arizona 86025
Ok - here’s the truth. I’m kind of a nerd about this. I think it dates back to when I was twenty-five and had never been anywhere, and I flew to Europe and received my first passport stamp.
To this day, that old passport is one of my most treasured possessions. Each stamp burns a memory and I love to think back on the time away whenever I see those stamps.
So naturally, I’m all about the fact that you can get a passport stamp at each and every National Park. Just walk into the visitors center; there is usually the stamp and ink sitting out for self-use. I have passports for each member of the family.
Purchase yours here.
The Petrified Forest was fascinating and beautiful, even with some unexpected bumps in the road like Brian knocking out a tooth. Can’t wait to share more this Sunday when the Petrified Forest vlog drops!
Looking for a handy guide to all the info above (plus more fun pictures of the national park)? Download the travel guide below:
Catch up on all our airstream adventures here.
