Petrified Forest National Park

National Park · Arizona, 🇺🇸 United States

Area 899 km²

Time zone America/Phoenix

Official website www.nps.gov/imr/pefo/

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Joyradost / CC BY-SA 3.0

Petrified Forest National Park Essentials

Petrified Forest National Park showcases a landscape shaped by 225 million years of geological history. This selection covers the park's two distinct regions: the northern Painted Desert, known for its colorful badlands and the historic Painted Desert Inn, and the southern Rainbow Forest, characterized by dense concentrations of fossilized wood. Key highlights include the ancestral Puebloan ruins at Puerco Pueblo, the extensive petroglyphs of Newspaper Rock, and unique geological formations like the Blue Mesa badlands and the 110-foot-long fossilized span at Agate Bridge.

12 places

roulitto / CC-BY-SA

Best Overlooks

Petrified Forest National Park's overlooks provide access to the colorful Chinle Formation and vast expanses of the Painted Desert. These viewpoints showcase distinct geological features, including the striped badlands of Blue Mesa, the concentrated petrified logs of Jasper Forest, and the 650 petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock. Visitors can observe the park's transition from the high-altitude northern desert to the southern fossil-rich plains, with many sites featuring historic architecture and paved accessibility.

13 places

Moondigger / CC BY-SA 2.5

Petrified Forest Wonders

Explore the geological and archaeological highlights of Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona. This collection features the remnants of a 100-room ancestral Puebloan village at Puerco Pueblo and the Agate Bridge, a 110-foot fossilized log spanning a sandstone gully. Discover over 650 ancient petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock and the vibrant, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert. The area preserves late Triassic fossils, historic Route 66 landmarks, and diverse desert landscapes.

5 places