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

Petrified Forest National Park

National Park · Arizona · National Park Service

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.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Phone
928-524-6822
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: Architecture and Building · Archeology · Ruins · Arts · Painting · Photography · Explorers and Expeditions · Farming and Agriculture · Great Depression · Hispanic American Heritage · Latino American Heritage · LGB American Heritage · Migrations · Native American Heritage · Science, Technology and Innovation · Social Movements · Conservation Movement · Transportation · Roads, Routes and Highways · Trains and Railroads · Westward Expansion · Homesteading · Women's History · Animals · Birds · Cats (wild) · Elk · Climate Change · Dunes · Foothills, Plains and Valleys · Plateaus and Mesas · Fossils and Paleontology · Dinosaur · Petrified Wood · Geology · Grasslands · Prairies · Natural Sounds · Night Sky · River and Riparian · Rock Landscapes and Features · Scenic Views · Thickets and Shrublands · Trails · Wilderness

Activities & features: Arts and Culture · Cultural Demonstrations · Auto and ATV · Scenic Driving · Astronomy · Stargazing · Biking · Road Biking · Camping · Backcountry Camping · Horse Camping (see also Horse/Stock Use) · Compass and GPS · Geocaching · Orienteering · Food · Dining · Picnicking · Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Walking · Self-Guided Tours - Auto · Hands-On · Citizen Science · Hiking · Backcountry Hiking · Front-Country Hiking · Off-Trail Permitted Hiking · Horse Trekking · Horse Camping (see also camping) · Horseback Riding · Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Park Film · Museum Exhibits · Shopping · Bookstore and Park Store · Gift Shop and Souvenirs

Photos

  • Sunset lights up the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark west side.
    NPS Photo
  • Sunlight highlights the colorful petrified wood of Agate House
    NPS Photo
  • Masonry wall foundations are all that are left of a hundred room pueblo
    NPS Photo/Andrew V. Kearns
  • Two visitors walk the Blue Mesa Trail between blue, purple, and grey badlands.
    NPS Photo
  • many petrified logs lay on the ground and on eroded pedestals of clay
    NPS Photo/Andrew V. Kearns
  • A beam of light touches a petroglyph at Puerco Pueblo on the summer solstice
    NPS Photo
  • a petroglyph pecked into sandstone that represents a mountain lion
    NPS Photo/Stuart Holmes
  • Researchers dig for fossils in the badlands
    NPS Photo

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49 parks mapped in Arizona

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12