Visitor Centers

See Operating Hours & Seasons for current visitor center hours.

 

Painted Desert Visitor Center

NPS

Painted Desert Visitor Center

Found in the historic Painted Desert Community Complex
Open all year and located at exit #311 off of I-40
Services include:

• visitor information, orientation, and backcountry permits
• bookstore
• exhibits
• restaurant
• short loop walking trail with signage exploring park points of interest
• trailhead for the Tawa Trail
• Plants of the historic plaza
• Museum Demonstration Lab
• gift shop
• gas station
• postal drop box
• picnic pavilion
• public restrooms

 

Morning sun warms the walls of the historic inn

NPS

Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark

Located at Kachina Point, 2 miles (3.2 km) from the north entrance at exit #311 off of I-40. The inn once served as a respite for travelers along historic Route 66. Read more on the inn's history pages. Services include:

• museum and gallery space
• visitor information and orientation
• sweeping desert vistas
• Access to Painted Desert Rim Trail and Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area
• public restrooms

 

Rainbow Forest Museum's Blue Mesa Room takes you back in time.

NPS

Rainbow Forest Museum

One of many historic buildings in Rainbow Forest Complex
Located near the southern entrance to the park, off US-180
Services include:

• visitor information, orientation, and backcountry permits
• paleontological exhibits complete with skeleton displays of prehistoric animals
• bookstore
• Access to Giant Logs, Long Logs, and Agate House Trails
• gift shop with limited snacks
• picnic pavilion
• public restrooms
• park movie at the gift shop.