The Ultimate Guide to Petrified Forest National Park

For the best view to see why the Painted Desert is called the "painted" desert, head to Kachina Point. You can see the bands of different colored sediment in the rolling hills of the arid landscape...it's a once-in-a-lifetime view and a perfect photo op.

The park is home to the famous Painted Desert Inn, and even though you can't spend the night here anymore, you should definitely stop in to check out the exhibits on the building (which was originally built of petrified wood, but was given an awesome makeover in the 1930's). It's easily one of the park's most photographable features.

There's more to Petrified Forest than the sparkly logs, it's also an important archaeological and anthropological site. One of the best examples that you can visit is Puerco Pueblo, the ruins of a community of Pueblo people from the 1200's. It's hard to imagine that the sandstone ruins were once a bustling settlement of up to 200 people!

For a park that's less than 150 miles square, it's pretty impressive to think that over 600 archaeological sites have been found within Petrified Forest's boundaries. There are literally hidden gems on top of hidden gems crammed inside the park! The cryptic petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock are a prime example. More than 650 icons, drawn between 650 and 2,000 years ago, are scattered across several rocks. Visit them and try to decipher their meaning yourself.

The one-mile Blue Mesa trail takes you further into the painted desert. where the hills take on hues of grey, purple, and blue. It's definitely not a typical desert landscape (seriously, it looks like you're on another planet), which makes it well worth a visit.

The Crystal Forest is a really easy hike along a paved walkway. The loop takes you past tons of petrified wood, which contains a lot of quartz, hence the name. It's only 3/4ths of a mile, but take your time, inspect the trees, and enjoy the painted desert views.

Of course, watching educational videos and looking at displays is a good way to get background on the petrified wood, but nothing can compare to the experience of seeing it up close and in person. Many comment on how surprising it is to see just so many sparkly, colorful logs in one place! Hard to believe that these trees are 250 million years old, they've outlived the dinosaurs!

Native Americans were also familiar with the petrified wood found in the area. In fact, they used it in very much the way we use normal wood today, like to build the park's Agate House. The 8-room pueblo was likely built between 1050 and 1300, and was excavated in the 1930's. Petrified wood must make a good building material, since the house is in pretty good condition for being so old. You can see it for yourself by taking the two-mile round trip trail from the Rainbow Forest visitor center.