Petrified Forest Park is one of the three national parks located in Arizona. The park is named after its large deposit of petrified wood. 

Getting to Petrified National Forest

We were camped in Pine Flat Campground, Sedona and it was 2 hours drive to get to the park. We took the historic Route 66 and it was an enjoyable drive down the history lane. We had the annual “America The Beautiful Pass” and didn’t have to pay the entrance fees of $25.

Visitor Center

Our first stop was visitor center. We picked maps of the park and spend some time looking at the dinosaurs history of the park and petrified wood.

Giant Log

Right outside the visiting center is giant log trail. You can see giant logs scarred around the trail. It is a good opportunity to feel the petrified wood ad take pictures. After exploring the giant log trail, we set on the 28 miles main park road to stop at the main viewpoints and explore the park.

Crystal Forest

Our first stop on the 28 miles road was Crystal Forest. It used to be a huge forest which was home to many different types of dinosaurs and other animals. But now it is a desert with scarred petrified wood defining the past glory of crystal forest. It is a one mile circular trail with beautiful petrified wood. If you don’t want to take the trail, there is a viewpoint at the start of the trail to see this beautiful area.

The Agate Bridge

Our next stop was the Agate Bridge. This bridge is formed by a fossilized tree which was crystallized into quartz. This is a beautiful spot to take a view of the vast desert in front of you and take some memorable pictures.

Blue Mesa

After Agate Bridge, we stopped at Blue Mesa where you can see the desert colored in blue. This is an amazing contrast of colors and will take you back in time. At this time we were running out of time and decided to enjoy the park from the car driving across it and not stopping except the last stop of painted desert.

Painted Desert

Our last but not the least stop point was the painted desert. This spot was the most picturesque and relaxing point. In front of you is miles of colors of desert and it looks so unreal. We took some time to relax there and absorb the beauty, calmness and serenity of painted desert. This is also picture perfect spot.

After spending a good amount of time at Painted Desert, it was almost closing time for the park and we decided to set on our journey back home. If you have extra time, explore the other spots in the park and stop at the painted desert museum to purchase any monuments to keep the memories of Petrified Forest National Park alive.