The Ultimate 1 Day Itinerary To Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park is a great place to learn about history and science, and it is filled with some of the most fascinating things I have ever seen: Petrified Wood. I never really knew what petrified wood was until I visited this national park. This park is filled with so much petrified wood as well as easy hikes, and viewpoints. You only need a day to explore the whole park and you will learn about history as well as science.

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Where Is The Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park is located in-between Phoenix and Albuquerque in Arizona. Here are the distances and time to spend driving:

• Phoenix: 3 1/2 hours, 212 miles;
• Albuquerque: 3 hours and 10 minutes, 208 miles
• Flagstaff: 1 hour and 45 minutes, 116 miles

It is best to rent a car if you are flying into Arizona. Rent a car here.

Read More: The Ultimate Arizona Road Trip Itinerary

What Is Petrified Wood?

As crazy as it sounds petrified wood is actually a fossil! When you look at the photos below all of these neat pieces of history look like they are wood but when you touch them they feel like they are glass. It took me a while to get used to it when I was exploring this national park.

The petrified wood forms when plant material is buried by sediment and protected from decay due to oxygen and organisms. Then when groundwater flows into the sediment it replaces the original plant material with silica, calcite, and pyrite.

As cool as all of this sounds you must not take any of the wood from the national park. It is illegal. Instead, buy it at the visitors center. I actually loved the visitor center at this park and I feel like it is one of the best I have ever seen.

Map Of Petrified National Park

Petrified Forest National Park was one of the easiest parks to get through. You can usually complete the whole park within a few hours. Also, all the attractions are located on the Petrified Forest Road. So you can do all of the stops in order as shown in the itinerary below. For the official national park, map click here.  I highly recommend stopping at the Painted Desert Visitor Center first.

Best Time To Visit Petrified Forest National Park

• Spring: Wildflowers boom during this time of year. This is the best time to visit the national park.
• Summer: Temperatures rise during this time of year. I do not recommend visiting during this time. Also, this is when the monsoon season begins.
• Fall: The weather is great during this time of year. It is another good time to visit.
• Winter: Winter brings snow and rain so you might see the colorful logs blanketed in snow.

Where To Stay Near Petrified Forest National Park Arizona United States

• Best Western Arizonian Inn: This is probably the best hotel near the national park. It comes with a pool, bar, and restaurant! >Click Here To Check Prices
• Petrified Forest National Park Camping: There are no campgrounds, but you can get a backcountry permit at the Painted Desert Visitor Center or Rainbow Forest Museum for free. >Click Here For More Information

What To Pack For Petrified Forest National Park

Hiking

1. Sunscreen: Super important to carry around this area.  >Buy Sunscreen
2. Chapstick: This one has SPF so your lips won’t get burned in this hot sun! >Check Out This Chapstick
3. Hiking Boots/Shoes: If you use tennis shoes, you can easily hurt your toes hitting a rock by accident (Trust me, I have done it so many times before). >Check Out My Hiking Shoes
4. Hiking socks: Having the correct socks helps you prevent getting blisters. Smart Wool is probably my favorite brand out there. 🙂 >Buy Hiking Socks
5. Water Reservoir: Water reservoirs help prevent getting dehydrated while hiking. The great thing about this reservoir is that it doesn’t have the plastic taste. >Here Is My Water Reservoir
6. Water: Stay nice and hydrated.
7. Sunglasses: It can get sunny, so make sure to pack some sunglasses. >Check Out These Sunglasses
8. Snacks: The best snacks are jerky, nuts, and energy bars. Clif Bars are great for hiking.
9. Camera: The Sony A6000 was one of the first cameras I started traveling with. The Sony A6000 is an excellent camera for people that want to start improving at travel photography.  >Buy Sony Camera Here
10. First Aid Kit: This is one of the first things I bought when I first started going on adventures. It is super portable. >Buy This Awesome First Aid Kit Here
11. Day Pack to carry all your things: To carry all your gear, water, and food, you need a good backpack. Osprey is known to have some of the best backpacks in the market. >Buy This Great Quality Backpack
12. Leggings or Hiking Pants: I always wear leggings while hiking because it is what I feel most comfortable with! >Click For My Favorite Hiking Leggings
13. Breathable sweat-wicking shirts: Cotton shirts soak up your sweat when hiking, so make sure to wear something breathable. >Check out this awesome breathable shirt here.
14. Mid Base Layer: If you are hiking in the fall, winter, or spring, this might be a great idea. >Check Out My Sweater Here
15. Sports Bra: For women.
16. Jacket: I went in the early spring so I brought my jacket.  >Buy The Jacket I wore On This Trip!
17. Tripod: This is an optional item, but it is excellent for getting the ideal sunset pictures. >Check out this tripod
18. National Park Pass:  I highly recommend getting a year-long America The Beautiful Pass. >Get It Here

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Petrified Forest National Park One Day Itinerary

Kachina Point

Kachina Point should be your first stop in the Petrified Forest National Park. The painted desert views make you feel like you are on another planet! We ate some lunch while at this point and took in the views.

Painted Desert Inn Historic Buiding

I also liked the Painted Desert Inn Historic Buiding. They were doing repairs so we couldn’t walk in at the time, but it was interesting to know that it has been around since the 1920’s! This historic landmark is no longer a hotel and serves as a museum.

Old Studebaker

The Studebaker is part of a Route 66 Monument and it is such a cool place to stop and take a photo. Photographers love this place. The sign in the area reads:

The car was donated to the National Park Service by Frank and Rhonda Dobell in 2006 and still stands there. Drive slow when you think you are getting near the Studebaker. It is easy to pass by it.

Puerco Pueblo

Puerco Pueblo is a historical area where the Puebloan people created a village around the 1300s. There was a plaza, with about 100 rooms and it housed around 200 people.

In the late 1300s the inhabitants abandoned the village and what remains now is what you see at this stop.

Newspaper Rock

Newspaper Rock isn’t a newspaper, and it is made up of many rocks, not just one. The formations have over 650 Petroglyphs, which is a lot considering they have been around for 2,000 years!

Many Puebloan people saw the petroglyphs and contributed their drawings. That is how so many of these markings were formed.

Blue Mesa

The Blue Mesa was my favorite part of Petrified Forest! This easy hike is around 1 mile long, and it is stunning!

Curiously, I touched the formations to see how they felt. They were surprisingly hard as stone. Very different than similar compositions I have experienced, as those were made out of small little bits of clay and crumbled easily.

Make sure to grab some close-ups with the Mesa formations. The closer pictures will capture the incredible layers of colors meshed into these stone-like formations.

We did spot some petrified wood on this trail. Of course, I had to touch the petrified wood to see how it felt (I had never seen petrified wood before this), and they felt like crystallized stones.

Agate Bridge

This 110 foot suspended petrified wood bridge resisted erosion and has been around for centuries. In 1911 people erected pillars to help preserve the bridge, and in 1917 they added concrete to replace the pillars.

Jasper Forest Overlook

This overlook provides panoramic views of the desert and the scattered rainbow petrified logs. There is also a 2.5-mile-long trail. In 1882 the completion of the railroad helped deplete the number of petrified wood in Jasper Forest. Many people were upset, which is how Petrified Forest became a National Monument in 1906.

Crystal Forest

This trail is around 0.75 miles, and it is pretty straightforward. You can walk around and enjoy the piles of petrified wood close up. I loved how colorful some of them were. We took our time and strolled around the whole area.

Giant Logs

This is the final stop of the national park, and it is filled with more massive petrified wood than Crystal Forest. This trail is located behind the Rainbow Forest Museum and it an easy 0.4 mile-long hike.

Agate House

This is the one trail you should do in this national park. The Puebloan people made a beautiful house with petrified wood. This eight-room petrified wood house was occupied around the years 1050 and 1300. The trail is around 2 miles roundtrip, and it is pretty easy.

Final Thoughts On Petrified Forest National Park AZ

Thanks for reading all about Petrified Forest National Park. If you want other great areas to stop in Arizona, check out some of my other Arizona Posts:

• Things To Do In Page, Arizona
• Ultimate Guide To Monument Valley
• Plateau Point At The Grand Canyon
• Best Hikes In Sedona, Arizona
• 21 Of The Best Grand Canyon Views

Also, follow me on Instagram, where I discuss all things hiking, camping, and backpacking. You can get ready for your next outdoor adventure!  Follow Me Here.

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