Petrified Forest National Park • Arizona

Sunlit Painted Desert hills of the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area

Sunset lights up the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark west side.

Sunlight highlights the colorful petrified wood of Agate House

Masonry wall foundations are all that are left of a hundred room pueblo

Two visitors walk the Blue Mesa Trail between blue, purple, and grey badlands.

many petrified logs lay on the ground and on eroded pedestals of clay

A beam of light touches a petroglyph at Puerco Pueblo on the summer solstice

a petroglyph pecked into sandstone that represents a mountain lion

Researchers dig for fossils in the badlands

yellow and other colors in a piece of brightly colored petrified wood

Dark blue sky filled with stars over banded badland.

A landscape where deep time lies fully on display, Petrified Forest National Park blends colorful badlands, vast grasslands, and one of the world’s largest and most vivid collections of petrified wood. Spanning more than 200 million years of geologic history, the park protects ancient fossils, ancestral Puebloan sites, habitat for desert animals, and a sweeping stretch of historic Route 66.

Sunrise and sunset are favorite times to view the colorful Painted Desert of the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area
NPS Photo

Sunset lights up the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark west side.
NPS Photo

Agate House was built over 900 years ago out of pieces of petrified wood
NPS Photo

Masonry wall remnants are all that are left of a hundred room pueblo.
NPS Photo/Andrew V. Kearns

Visitors enjoy the otherworldly walk along the Blue Mesa.
NPS Photo

Jasper Forest has some of the most colorful logs in the park.
NPS Photo/Andrew V. Kearns

A petroglyph at Puerco Pueblo interacts with the sunlight on the summer solstice.
NPS Photo

This ancient petroglyph of a mountain lion has become an icon of the park.
NPS Photo/Stuart Holmes

Researchers dig for fossils in the badlands.
NPS Photo

Iron oxide is one of the many trace minerals that create the color of petrified wood.
NPS Photo

Petrified Forest is now an International Dark Sky Park!
NPS/Jacob Holgerson

Hours and seasons

Reservations and timed entry

Fees and passes

an old, abandoned car sits beneath a starry purple sky.

Find your way around Petrified Forest National Park with these handy directions.

a group of four hikers wearing backpacks and warm jackets descend on a trail between red buttes.

Looking for trip ideas for your visit? Check out our sample itineraries for trips of all lengths.

Hikers on a ridge cast shadows on red buttes.

There are many ways to explore Petrified Forest. Check out options for your visit!

children with outstretched arms fly kites against the backdrop of striped badlands buttes.

Bringing little ones along for the trip? Explore the wonders of Petrified Forest National Park with these family-friendly activities.

a man smiles and leads three golden retrievers through a trail with badlands in the background.

Four-legged friends are welcome to visit Petrified Forest! Learn more about rules and regulations for pets before your visit.

a jumble of large, blocky chunks of red petrified wood underlaid by soft, white shale of badlands.

What is petrified wood? What kind of fossils, plants, and animals call the park home? Find answers to these questions and more!

Last updated: April 16, 2026

Take a Peek!

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Petrified Forest National Park
P.O. Box 2217
Attn.:
Petrified Forest, AZ 86028-2217

Phone:

928-524-6822 x0

Contact Us

Tools

Stay Connected