5 Best Hikes in Petrified Forest National Park for Families
Completing the best hikes in Petrified Forest National Park will allow your family to get up close and personal with everything that makes this place incredible!
Located in eastern Arizona, Petrified Forest National Park is the home of the remains of an ancient forest, much of which lived about 250 million years ago.
Today, visitors from around the world come to walk among the beautifully colored pieces of petrified logs, experience the vistas in the Painted Desert, and learn about the ever-changing history of this park.
While you and your family could see the park with a quick drive through along Main Park Road, you’ll really want to do more than that.
These 5 Petrified Forest National Park hikes are all easy and accessible to hikers of all ages.
And the best part is that each will allow your family unique experiences in different areas of the park.
The Camping Kiddos hiking near Kachina Point in Petrified Forest National Park
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How to Prepare for Hiking in Petrified Forest National Park
PIN ME!
Take It Slow.
While you could do all 5 of these hikes on my 1 day in Petrified Forest National Park itinerary, that would make for a very, very long day—and one where you’d have to skip so many other cool things in the park!
Instead, spread the recommended hikes below over the course of 2 days as you explore the overlooks, visitors centers, and more.
Doing so will allow you and your family to explore each of these areas carefully, which is recommended as the landscapes and artifacts are plentiful.
Stay Hydrated.
Arizona’s climate is dry year round, and it is warm to hot for more than 6 months out of the year.
Even if you’re visiting in the cooler months of November to February, you’ll want to bring plenty of water with you on your hikes.
I’d also recommend keeping an additional gallon or two of water in your car for water bottle fill-ups as there aren’t many water fountains in the park.
Note that the only places for water refills are at the Painted Desert Visitors Center at the north end of the park, the Painted Desert Inn, the Puerco Pueblo restrooms, and the Rainbow Forest Visitors Center at the southern entrance.
From end to end, the only road through the park is about 25 miles long, which makes retracing your steps for restrooms and water inconvenient.
Protect Yourself from the Sun.
That dry climate combines with literally no shade to make for a potentially hot, uncomfortable walk.
A few of the places below have a small, dedicated space to get out of the sun—there’s a covered shelter at the Crystal Forest trail, for example—but the vast majority of the hiking here is unprotected and in direct sunlight.
Don’t risk a painful sunburn, and use sunscreen throughout the hike. This is particularly important for babies and young children on your hike, as they have extra sensitive skin.
My son in his hiking gear at Pueblo Puerco
If your kids are like mine, and don’t tolerate sunscreen application well, I’d recommend 3 items:
1) A solid sunscreen stick like this one, which allows for mess-free touch ups on the backs of hands, necks, and noses,
2) a lightweight, long sleeved sun shirt, which essentially acts as a wearable sunscreen, and
3) a wide brimmed sun hat for added sun protection and shade.
These are our go-to items when hiking out West (or do anything with limited shade, like when we went sledding in White Sands National Park), and it’s worked well so far.
Know that it can be windy in the park.
Trying to keep my daughter from blowing away near the Blue Mesa trailhead!
Since this part of Arizona doesn’t have any trees or geography to stop the wind, the gusts can be tough.
And when I say tough, I mean it: the nearby Meteor Crater attraction (outside of the park) had a visitors center blown down by the wind!
When we were in Petrified Forest National Park, the wind was gusting at around 22 knots, which chapped our cheeks even though we were using sunscreen religiously.
Pack some moisturizer and keep applying on those windy days.
The park is known for its wind, so chances are that it will be gusty when you’re visiting, too. You can check at each visitors center for the wind forecast daily.
The hikes below are a mixed bag when it is windy.
Some, like the Kachina Point to Tawa Point hike and the Crystal Forest hike, are exposed, so you’ll get all of the wind.
Others, like the Blue Mesa Trail, have more protection from the wind thanks to the immediate topography.
If there’s wind forecasted for your days hiking, I’d suggest doing the more exposed trails first, and then doing the more protected hikes when the wind picks up.
If you’ve got a little one with you on the trail, check out our tips and tricks for hiking with toddlers!
What else should we bring on our Petrified Forest National Park hikes?
Besides water, sunscreen, and a hat, I’d also recommend hiking shoes and a hiking backpack to carry everything.
If you’re not sure where to start with buying proper footwear, check out our recommendations for best toddler hiking shoes.
While none of these hikes are super difficult or long—and it would be difficult to get lost on the well marked paths—I’m one to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Because of that, I have my kids carry everything on our go-to kids hiking gear checklist.
Doing so even on shorter trails gets them used to carrying their own packs, snacks, and equipment.
If you’re brand new to hiking, I’d also suggest reading our guide to hiking for beginners on a budget.
This guide will help you determine the basics for a fun outdoor adventure in Petrified Forest National Park without breaking the bank.
Explore more! Petrified Forest National Park is just one of the incredible sites on our ultimate Utah to Arizona road trip itinerary.
Best Hikes in Petrified Forest National Park
Now that your hiking bags are packed, you’re ready to head out onto the trails.
Below are the 5 trails in the national park that I recommend for families as they are generally easy with a completion time of less than an hour.
Even younger children will be able to complete most of these.
While most of the trails do have some sort of incline, they’re not so steep or prolonged as to keep an intrepid preschooler from enjoying the hike.
Many of these hikes are also on paved paths, which means you can bring a stroller.
I’ve made notes on each trail below so you can pick those that work best for your family.
Painted Desert Rim Trail
My dad, my kids, and I hiking near Kachina Point
Length of trail: 1 mile round trip (0.5 miles each way)
Estimated time to complete: 30-45 minutes
Location in park: near Painted Desert Inn and Painted Desert Visitors Center
Stroller friendly? No, uneven dirt path.
This trail is the one closest to the park’s northern entrance off of I-40.
It’s also the one that’s easiest to access from the interstate if you were planning a super quick visit to the park.
It’s a one-way trail that leads from Kachina Point to nearby Tawa Point.
Park at the Painted Desert overlook and walk out to Kachina Point.
Here, you’ll see incredible views of the southern end of the Painted Desert, which stretches all of the way to Monument Valley at the Arizona-Utah border.
From Kachina Point, turn to your right away from the Painted Desert Inn. You'll see a small dirt path that isn’t well marked.
It hugs the rim of the Painted Desert and will carry you along some of the most beautiful vistas in this section of the park.
You’ll end at the Tawa Point overlook, and then turn back around to get to your car at the Painted Desert.
There are slight inclines both ways as you’ll go over a small ridge during this hike.
If you’re hiking this trail with smaller kids, keep in mind that there aren’t any guardrails on the fairly steep slope down to the valley floor.
This path is also not paved, so you’ll need to use your baby carrier instead of a stroller.
You can extend this trail even further and head from Tawa Point down to the Painted Desert Visitors Center.
However, the best views are from Kachina Point to Tawa Point, and the added leg to the visitors center has a much steeper incline than the recommended hike.
Puerco Pueblo Trail
Our daughter resting for a moment on the Puerco Pueblo trail
Length of trail: 0.3 miles
Estimated time to complete: 25 minutes
Location in park: near halfway point on Main Park Road
Stroller friendly? Yes, paved path.
The shortest trail on this list, the Puerco Pueblo Trail offers history, epic views, and archeology in one quick package.
Located below the original Route 66 inside the park, the Puerco Pueblo Trail marks the national park’s transition from the Painted Desert into the ancient petrified wood forest.
While you’ll see some logs of petrified wood here, you’ll have several opportunities on other hikes below to see larger, more concentrated quantities.
The biggest draw at this trail is the collection of native dwelling ruins. The “pueblo” in “Puerco Pueblo” simply means “home,” or “place of living.”
If you explore more in this area of Arizona and New Mexico, you’ll see multiple places with the word “Pueblo” in them, indicating that the location has strong ties to local tribal history.
On the Puerco Pueblo trail, you’ll be able to see evidence of those living in this area more than 1000 years ago.
Each of the ruins has interpretive signs to help you better understand what each of these buildings were used for.
There’s also a covered shelter about halfway through the loop trail with more information on the geology and archeology of this site.
Don’t miss the gorgeous overview at the mid-point of the trail—there are a few stairs, so you’ll have to leave your strollers at the top.
Here, you can see petroglyphs carved and painted on the rocks below, as well as see a native homage to the solstice (much like the carvings at Stonehenge in England or Newgrange in Ireland).
As a note: when the park puts out a “Don’t Walk Here” sign, believe it. There are several areas with unstable rocks and/or important petroglyphs alongside the trail that are marked, but we still saw people trying to walk on and down them.
One couple was ticketed by a park ranger for doing just this while we were there. You’ve been warned!
Blue Mesa Trail
The winding trail through Blue Mesa
Length of trail: 1 mile loop
Estimated time to complete: 30-45 minutes
Location in park: in southern half of the park on the Blue Mesa Loop Road
Stroller friendly? Yes, paved path.
This incredible trail is around the halfway point on the Main Park Road: take the Blue Mesa Loop Road off of Main Park Road, and follow that loop to the well-marked trailhead.
The Blue Mesa Loop Road is a mile off the Main Park Road, but this detour is absolutely worth it.
Over millions of years, the land here has been eroded slowly to expose the incredible layers of multi-colored sediment, resulting in rolling rainbow hills.
You can walk among the grey, blue, purple, pink, white, and orange layers on the Blue Mesa Trail, which gets you into the heart of this otherworldly place.
The trail is paved and well-marked, making this a great choice for the entire family.
Keep in mind that the beginning of the trail is pretty steep. Once you’re past the first 1/8 of a mile or so, the path evens out and is flat the rest of the way.
If you’re pushing a stroller that first bit (and last bit, as it is a loop) will be a bit tricky, but it’s possible. We saw many strollers on the trail.
Once you’re in the valley, you’ll see the intense colors of the hills upclose. There are so many pieces of petrified wood here, too.
This hike is one that is more protected from the wind.
The trailhead and interpretive signs next to the road get the brunt of the wind, but the trail in the valley is protected by the hills.
Crystal Forest Trail
The older Camping Kiddos on the Crystal Forest trail
Length of trail: 0.75 mile loop
Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes
Location in park: near the Rainbow Forest Visitors Center in the southern half of the park
Stroller friendly? Yes, paved path.
So much petrified wood, so little time!
This short, paved trail is the perfect introduction to the reason why Petrified Forest National Park has its name.
This trail is littered with huge chunks of petrified wood, many of them right off of the pathway.
While you shouldn’t take any of the petrified wood home with you, you can touch and get up close to the pieces of wood. Just don’t try to move them—they are heavy and important!
Access the trailhead and parking lot from Main Park Road. There is a sign on the road pointing to the trailhead, so you can’t miss it.
The paved trail is easy to follow and meanders up and down the small hills here.
It would be easy to do with a stroller!
My kids loved this trail, thanks to the incredible collection of colorful petrified wood along the way.
There’s also an open air shelter about a 1/3rd of the way around the trail loop.
It doesn’t have any protection from the wind that loves to whip through this area of the park, but it’s great for getting out of the sun for a bit.
You’ll find a bench for resting here, too. I think it’s the perfect place to make your kids work on their nature journals, but that’s just the teacher in me talking.
Even if you don’t want to do the entire loop, this trail is great for a quick jump out of the car to explore some of the pieces of petrified wood near the trailhead.
If you do the entire hike, you’ll be rewarded with some beautiful desert views on the highest of the rolling hills about halfway through the loop.
Giant Logs Trail
Showing off their souvenirs on the Giant Logs Trail
Length of trail: 0.4 miles
Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes
Location in park: directly behind the Rainbow Forest Visitors Center near the southern entrance
Stroller friendly? Yes, paved path.
This trail is easy to access from the southern end of the park if you’re planning to work your way south-to-north, or if you’re looking for a quick hike near Holbrook, AZ.
Just steps from the Rainbow Forest Visitors Center, this trail is the perfect introduction to the park--or the perfect way to end your day hiking at Petrified Forest National Park.
Whether you’re beginning or ending your visit with this hike, you’ll find the trailhead at the back of the visitors center and past the ranger desk.
Once you’re out on the trail, you’ll be taken through some of the largest pieces of petrified wood in the park—including the massive log at the uppermost point on the trail.
The trail is paved, but it does have a bit of elevation, though it is manageable.
The views from the highest point are beautiful, and allow you to see out beyond the visitors center across the desert expanse.
Adventure elsewhere in Arizona with this incredible Monument Valley to Petrified Forest road trip itinerary!
You’ll experience Route 66, 2 National Monuments, the Grand Canyon, and the Navajo Nation.
Hiking in Petrified Forest National Park FAQs
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The only camping inside of Petrified Forest National Park is dispersed backcountry camping. This means there aren’t any established campgrounds, and typical tent, car, and RV camping aren’t allowed in the park.
For tent, car, and RV camping in this area, we recommend the Holbrook KOA as the best camping near Petrified Forest National Park.
Our stay there was convenient to the national park and other local attractions like Winslow, AZ on Route 66, Meteor Crater and Homolovi Ruins State Park.
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We prefer hiking in this area in late spring (April and May) and fall (late September to October).
These times are the shoulder seasons for the park, meaning you won’t have too many other visitors to contend with but most (if not all) of the park’s amenities are still available.
The weather during these times are dry and warm. You won’t have to carry a jacket during the day, but the sun isn’t brutal like in the summer.
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Yes! The hiking in Petrified Forest National Park is great for beginners or families with small kids.
While my family and I love hiking, we’re not the fastest or most agile, so we look for easy-to-moderate hiking opportunities that even our 6-year-old can enjoy.
All of the recommended hikes here were completed by both of my children, myself, and my dad.
Hiking with littles? Check out our tips and tricks for hiking with toddlers!
