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.

Painted Desert

The Painted Desert is a United States desert of badlands in the Four Corners area, running from near the east end of Grand Canyon National…

Painted Desert Inn

Painted Desert Inn is a historic complex in Petrified Forest National Park, in Apache County, eastern Arizona.

Blue Mesa Viewpoint

Overlooks striped badlands of blue, purple, and gray bentonite clay. A loop trail leads through the formations where petrified logs are embedded in the eroded hillsides.

Crystal Forest Viewpoint

Overlooks a dense concentration of fossilized logs known for containing quartz and amethyst crystals. The site demonstrates the geological process of silica permineralization.

Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs Archeological District

The Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs Archeological District is part of the Petrified Forest National Park, and contains in excess of 650…

Puerco Pueblo

Ruins of a 100-room pueblo occupied by ancestral Puebloan people between 1250 and 1380 AD. The site features masonry foundations and accessible petroglyphs.

Agate House Pueblo

Agate House is a partially reconstructed Puebloan building in Petrified Forest National Park, built almost entirely of petrified wood.

The Tepees Viewpoint

Showcases conical badland formations with distinct colorful bands of mudstone and siltstone, created by iron and manganese minerals deposited during the Triassic period.

Jasper Forest Viewpoint

Provides a panoramic view of a valley floor littered with thousands of fractured petrified logs, originally deposited by ancient river systems.

Agate Bridge Viewpoint

A 110-foot long fossilized log spanning a sandstone gully. A concrete beam was installed underneath in 1917 to preserve the natural bridge.

Rainbow Forest Museum & Visitor Center

Features exhibits on Triassic fossils and the park's geological history. It serves as a visitor center with orientation programs and proximity to the park's southern trailheads.

Giant Logs

A collection of the park's largest and most colorful fossilized logs located on a trail behind the Rainbow Forest Museum, including the massive "Old Faithful" log.