Petrified Forest National Park: It looks like a wood, but it is not

You can find Petrified wood in many places. But to see the largest collection of stone logs in the world, come with us for a visit to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Here the ancient forest of colourful semi-precious stone stumps lying all over the place is a spectacular sight.

Petrified Forest National Park visitor centre

If you have not noticed petrified wood lying on the streets in nearby towns or the numerous ‘rock shops’ along the way to the national park, your first petrified stumps lie immediately at the national park entry sign.

Your first stop inside the park is the visitor centre. Numerous info panels present lots of information on the history and the geology of the area. Threre is an explanation on how the petrified wood came to be over the last hundreds of millions of years. Also, a great hit with our dinosaur-loving son, is a room full of prehistoric skeletons.

  • Entry sign to Petrified Forest National Park, with some fine examples of stone logs.
    Entry sign to Petrified Forest National Park, with some fine examples of stone logs.
First recommended stop inside the park is the visitor center.Ancient skeletons inside the visitor centre were popular with our dinosaur loving son. Apparently, these are not dinosaur, but rather species older by a few milion years .The best map of the park is the kids colouring discovery map. This one was coloured by the staff at visitors center.

Giant and Long Log walks

The best of the short walks start right near the visitor centre.

The Giant Logs walk is a 0.4mi/0.6 km loop right behind the visitor centre. Its most impressive feature is the ‘Old Faithful’, a massive log of almost 10 feet / 3 meters across at the base.

  • 'Old Faithful', a massive log, complete with roots, which gave the Giant Logs walk its name.
    ‘Old Faithful’, a massive log, complete with roots, which gave the Giant Logs walk its name.

To get to the Long Logs walk, you cross the bridge over the river next to the gift shop. The 1.6mi / 2.5 km loop is the ‘site of a Triassic log jam’, an area covered in especially long petrified tree trunks.

It looks like a wood, but it is not.One of the larger 'rock trees' along the Giant Logs walkAnother fine stump, with a beautiful wood structure, and a colourful cross-cut.
Fine example of colourful petrified stump, Giant Logs walk.Long Logs Trail starts just across the bridge from the visitors centre. It showcases many of the complete petrified logs.

Crystal Forest walk

After you have seen all there is around the visitor centre, it is time to jump in the car. Our next stop is the Crystal Forest walk. Along the 0.75mi/1.2 km loop we explore the scattering of colourful stumps and more fine examples of entire massive petrified logs.

  • One of the locals warming up on a colourful stump.
    One of the locals warming up on a colourful stump.
Crystal Forest walk, Petrified Forest National Park'Rock wood' along the Crystal Forest walk in Petrified Forest National ParkLong stone logs found along the Crystal Forest walk.Colourful silica log along the Crystal Forest walk in Petrified Forest National Park

Jasper Forest and Agate Bridge

The next two short stops are only a bit further up the road where we will find the Jasper Forest loop provides a panoramic view over many scattered petrified stumps. Across the road, Agate Bridge is a 110 ft / 34 m long petrified log spanning a gully. An interesting ‘feature’ is the ugly block of concrete supporting the log. Apparently, this is an 1917 effort to prevent the log bridge from collapsing – something that would not be done today.

Rock litter along the Jasper Forest loop. Petrified Forest National ParkAgate Bridge, 110ft/34m long petrified log, spanning a gully.Another local in the park.

Blue Mesa

For a bit of a change, drive the 3.5 mi / 5.6 km Blue Mesa loop drive. While you can still see many petrified logs here, the main feature here are the coloured layers of ancient mud, eroded into some spectacular and bizarre formations.

  • Blue Mesa, an ancient mud eroded in colourful layers. A hard stone log had capped the hill and prevented it to erode away completely.
    Blue Mesa, an ancient mud eroded in colourful layers. A hard stone log had capped the hill and prevented it to erode away completely.
Colourful layers of Blue Mesa. Petrified Forest National ParkBizare coloured shapes of Blue Mesa.

Newspaper Rock and Puerco Pueblo

Our next two stops provide lessons about more recent human history. Fist at Newspaper Rock, you look down at a rock carved with over 600 petroglyphs, some as old as 2000 years. Then along the 0.3 mi /0.5 km long loop walk at Puerco Pueblo, you will see excavations of ancient Puebloan homes, as well as some of the fine rock carvings.


Outline of the Puerco Pueblo.Does this carving really show a stork carrying a newborn child?Petroglyphs - rock carvings - near the ancient Puerco Pueblo site.

Route 66 Alignment

Near where the park road crosses Interstate 40, a rusty 1932 Studebaker marks where Historic Route 66 once cut through the Petrified Forest National Park.

  • Historic Route 66 artefact, this time on the edge of Petrified Forest National Park.
    Historic Route 66 artefact, this time on the edge of Petrified Forest National Park.

Painted Desert and the historical Inn

Several lookouts over the Painted Desert, an area of colourful layered hills, are the last few points of interest along the park scenic drive. A lookout right next to historic Painted Desert Inn offers some of the best views.

Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National ParkColours of the Painted Desert, as seen from the lookout near the Inn.

These days a museum, the Painted Desert Inn was built in the 1920’s using local petrified wood stumps as a building material. In 1936 National Parks Service remodeled the inn into it’s current Pueblo style form. However, some of the original tree stumps were left exposed around the rear entrance. The interior walls have lovely murals painted by a renowned Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.

  • Painted Desert Inn, Petrified Forest National Park
    Painted Desert Inn, Petrified Forest National Park
  • Courtyard of the Painted Desert Inn.
    Courtyard of the Painted Desert Inn.
Doorway showcasing the petrified wood. Stone stumps were the original building material of the Painted Desert Inn.Elaborate ceiling window in the Painted Desert Inn.Wall murals in the Painted Desert Inn were painted by a renowned Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.

Practical information for visiting Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park official website has a map of the park drive described above.

Petrified Forest National Park does not have any campsites. However, two privately owned gift shops at the junction of the park road and Highway 180 allow overnight parking and camping in their parking lots. For more details, visit ‘Camping’ in the planning section of the park website.

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