Located along historic U.S. Route 66 in northeastern Arizona, Petrified Forest National Park is a landscape where deep time, color and culture converge. Famous for its vast deposits of petrified wood, the park also preserves ancestral homelands shaped and stewarded by Native Nations and communities for thousands of years. Long before the highway crossed this high desert, Indigenous peoples traveled, lived and left enduring marks on this land.
Painted mesas and open grasslands are home to archaeological sites, petroglyphs and ancestral structures that reflect centuries of Native presence, including connections to Diné, Hopi and other Puebloan peoples. These places speak to sophisticated relationships with land, water and seasonal movement in a region defined by both beauty and extremes.
For Route 66 travelers, Petrified Forest offers one of the most immersive stops along the road. A historic alignment of the highway runs directly through the park, linking classic Americana with far older Indigenous histories. Walking among stone logs turned to crystal and gazing across the Painted Desert, visitors gain a deeper understanding of how this landscape continues to hold cultural meaning far beyond its scenic appeal.
PAINTED DESERT COMMUNITY COMPLEX
Open all year and located at exit #311 off of I-40
The Painted Desert Visitor center found in the historic Painted Desert Community Complex is currently closed for construction but the following amenities are still available:
restaurant, short loop walking trail with signage exploring park points of interest, trailhead for the Tawa Trail, Plants of the historic plaza, gift shop, gas station, postal drop box, picnic pavilion, public restrooms, dog park
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. Painted Desert Inn serves as the north visitor center.
Services include: visitor information and orientation, public restrooms, bookstore , museum and gallery space, ice cream parlor, gift shop, sweeping desert vistas, access to Painted Desert Rim Trail and Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area
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.
TRAILS
One of the best ways to enjoy and experience Petrified Forest National Park is on foot.
Stay on designated trails while in developed hiking areas. Off-trail hiking can damage the fragile grassland environment, disturb wildlife habitat, and/or create unsightly "social" trails.
Pets are allowed on the developed trails. Pets must be kept on leash at all times. Please clean up after your animal. Be sure to get your BARK Ranger certificate!
Bicycles (including ebikes) are not allowed on trails, except for the half mile access trail that leads to the junction between the Long Logs and Agate House Trails.
Most trails are paved and barrier free, but several have grades in excess of ADA requirements. Portions of some trails are deemed accessible. See the descriptions below for more specific information. If you are looking for off-trail adventures, check out our Hiking page.
The park is open year round except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Remember that times are Mountain Standard year round. Most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.
PARK ROAD HOURS
Park hours are 8am to 5pm.
Visitor Centers and Museum Hours
Painted Desert Visitor Center and Rainbow Forest Museum & Visitor Center
8am to 5pm
Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark Hours
9am to 4pm
