Petrified Forest National Park
WHO
Allyson, Averhy, and Eden visited the Petrified Forest National Park on our way to pick up Sky in Las Vegas. Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old at the time of this trip. (Sky also visited this National Park when he was in junior high.)
WHAT
For our 3-hour visit to the Petrified Forest National Park, the girls and I really only needed a few items (hiking shoes, water, snacks, sunglasses, National Park Pass). If you are planning on staying all day and hiking many of the trails, you should also bring a small backpack with extra water, snacks, and sunscreen.
WHEN
We visited the Petrified Forest National Park in March during spring break, to start our Utah Road Trip. March is a great time to visit this park because the temperatures are pleasant and there are not as many crowds as you’ll find later in the spring or early summer.
WHERE
Because this was a quick stop on our way from Illinois to Las Vegas, we did not stay overnight near this National Park. We also only had time to see viewpoints in the north section of the park. The main road going through the park was closed for construction just south of the Blue Mesa.
We stopped at the viewpoints marked with yellow stars on the map. We did not hike any of the trails because this was a very brief visit. The viewpoints are beautiful and I would like to go back to hike someday, especially in the Blue Mesa section of the park.
WHY
The Petrified Forest National Park is located within the Painted Desert of Arizona and is simply stunning, which is why we liked it! It was easy to see the highlights in just a few hours, and its location relative to the other National Parks on our agenda made it easy to add to either the start or the finish of our road trip.
HOW
We entered at the Painted Desert Visitor Center and purchased our Annual National Park pass at the entrance. The $80 pass covers entrance fees at national parks for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person). Children age 15 or under are admitted free.
At the very first viewpoint (Tiponi Point) it’s easy to walk out onto the desert a little ways to get a feeling for the scope of the landscape.
Can you spot Eden in this photo?
A little further on, there is a short hiking path between Tawa Point and the Painted Desert Inn. It looked pretty easy (it’s a 1 mile round trip walk) and we walked a little ways down the path before heading to the next viewpoint.
We drove past a few viewpoints (Pintado, Nizhoni, Whipple, Lacey points) because we wanted to get to the Blue Mesa area - and it did not disappoint!
Driving around the loop in the Blue Mesa area, we stopped at one of the first small parking areas. There were a few short trails to several large petrified trees that were neat to see and climb on.
Further along the 3.5 mile Blue Mesa loop drive, there are a few more lookouts, one at the start of the 1 mile Blue Mesa trail, and one overlooking the midpoint of the trail. This was my favorite view of the entire park, and I would love to go back and hike the trail down between the mesas.
Overall, this is a very pretty National Park that you could easily explore in one day.
Final Tips
This is a small National Park that you can easily explore in one full day, or just a few hours like we did.
If you are planning on purchasing the Annual National Parks pass, know that it expires 1 year from the end of the month that you purchased it. So if you purchase it on March 1, 2020 it is valid until March 31, 2021.
What is your favorite National Park in the southwest USA? Let us know in the comments below!
