Petrified Forest is a massively underrated and wildly unique national park.
Many people treat this fossil hotspot as a drive-through park, but I’m here to tell you that visiting Petrified Forest with kids is the perfect adventure. You just have to know where to look to see the best sights and what you’re looking at!
My kids and I think Petrified Forest is seriously cool. Plus, it’s a great park to visit with little kids: no huge canyons, fiery volcanoes, or boiling geysers to fall into. The petrified logs are virtually indestructible! And if your kids love fossils, I highly recommend Petrified Forest!
That’s why Petrified Forest is also one of my favorite National Parks to visit with toddlers and little kids!
Here are all the can’t miss stops in Petrified Forest with kids!
Marvel at the Painted Canyon
Only one road runs through Petrified Forest National Park. I recommend starting at the northern edge, at the Painted Desert region, and working your way south.
The Painted Desert features stunning badlands in shades of orange, pink, vermillion, and gray.
You can walk the 1.3-mile Painted Desert Rim Trail, but it follows largely the same route as the park road. Thus, we drove and stopped at various overlooks and saved our miles for other hikes.
Get your kicks on Route 66
Petrified Forest includes a portion of historic Route 66.
Pay homage to the Mother Road at the old 1932 Studebaker parked near where the park road crosses over the interstate.
My kids thought the old car was fascinating!
Visit Puerco Pueblo & spy petroglyphs in Petrified Forest with kids
Just after driving the park road over the Interstate, you’ll come to the stop for Puerco Pueblo.
The Ancestral Puebloans built Puerco Pueblo in the 1200s along the Puerco River, a drainage that bisects the park and would have been a reliable water source. As many as 200 people lived here by 1300, before leaving by the end of the century as the climate changed.
In addition to the remains of the pueblo, you’ll spy petroglyphs on the rocks nearby.
After stopping at Puerco Pueblo, stop at Newspaper Rock.
The large boulders at this stop are covered in more than 600 petroglyphs! Some are as old as 2,000 years old!
Hike Blue Mesa in Petrified Forest with kids
Blue Mesa is a stunning hike down into the blue badlands with some fragments of petrified wood around.
The trail is one mile and listed as easy, but the start/end is very steep!
At the bottom of the descent, the path loops through the badlands with signs about the region’s geology, including its Triassic history.
Explore Jasper Forest in Petrified Forest with kids
Jasper Forest was my favorite place we visited to see petrified wood! The colors in the rocks were brilliant!
Jasper Forest Road is an old road that is no longer in use and has eroded. Most people don’t know it’s even here!
Park at the Jasper Forest Overlook, then walk to the southeast end of the lot. You’ll see some stairs and a small dirt path.
Walk the path down into the valley below. You’ll be amazed at all the petrified wood you see!
We found a particularly giant stump that the kids loved! It was bigger than their arm-spans combined!
The best part about Jasper Forest is that we had the area almost entirely to ourselves. No crowds!
You can hike the entire 3.7-mile trail, but we just wandered as far as we wanted then turned around.
Pro tip: Petrified Forest is an open-hike park, meaning you can technically hike anywhere! That said, it is a remote desert. If you’re going off trail, be sure to have a map, snacks, sunscreen, and plenty of water.
Wonder at Giant Logs
At the southern end of the park is the Rainbow Forest Museum and visitor center.
This visitor center has a small kids area where they can play at digging for fossils, and lots of information about the prehistoric life found in Petrified Forest.
Petrified Forest is nicknamed the “Triassic Park” for the wealth of fossils from the Triassic Period found here! Plus, the petrified wood pieces themselves are fossils!
It’s thought the logs were in a log jam in a late Triassic river. I highly recommend listening to this podcast episode to learn more fun facts about Petrified Forest to truly appreciate the park.
Behind the visitor center is the Giant Logs Trail.
The half-mile path is an easy walk among particularly large petrified wood.
Peek into the Agate House
At the far end of the Rainbow Forest parking lot is the trailhead to Long Logs and Agate House. The full loop is about 2.7 easy miles.
I recommend taking the fork that heads to Agate House first.
Archaeologists think Agate House was a small pueblo built and occupied by the Ancestral Puebloans at least 700 years ago. The walls are made entirely from petrified wood! (However, the site was rebuilt in the 1930s, so it’s not a completely accurate representation.)
Kids will love the sparkling walls! But please, don’t climb on the structure.
Measure the Long Logs in Petrified Forest with kids
Continue onto Long Logs Tail to see just how tall these giant trees once were!
My kids loved measuring how long the logs were with their feet. My oldest measured a petrified log that was 156 of his feet long!
Even my 3-year-old joined in, comparing her height to the diameter of a fossilized log.
Become a Petrified Forest Junior Ranger
You can’t visit Petrified Forest with kids without taking the Junior Ranger oath!
Pick up your free activity book at a visitor center, complete the activities, then turn it in for a Junior Ranger badge! My kids picked up their booklets in the Painted Desert visitor center, then turned them in at the Rainbow Forest Museum.
Where to stay in Petrified Forest with kids
Petrified Forest National Park is in the eastern edge of Arizona, along Interstate 40. It’s only about three hours from Albuquerque, and makes a great road trip stop!
Many people treat Petrified Forest as a drive-through park and only spend a few hours here. I had driven through years ago, when my oldest two kids were babies, and I knew I wanted more than a morning this go-around.
So, we got to Petrified Forest in the afternoon and hit some of the northernmost sites, like the Painted Canyon and Jasper Forest. Then, we stayed overnight in nearby Holbrook, Arizona, and returned to the park early the next morning.
I was traveling with the kids by myself, so I had certain requirements for our hotel (no outside doors, free breakfast, etc.). We stayed at the La Quinta Inn & Suites and had a great experience. I’d definitely stay there again.
When to visit Petrified Forest with kids
Petrified Forest has no shade. It’s in the desert. In Arizona. It gets hot fast!
We have only ever visited Petrified Forest in winter and spring, and I would never brave it in summer.
Not only do cooler months bring more comfortable temperatures, but they also bring better lighting!
Early and late morning hours are key to see the gorgeous colors in the logs and rock formations, but keep in mind the park does close. No 24/7 access here.
I do recommend planning more time than you think you’ll need. We spent an afternoon and a morning here and could’ve easily stayed longer!
No matter how much time you spend, I hope you have a great trip to Petrified Forest with kids!
Looking for more National Park adventures?
Search by state for more National Park trips and tips! Or if you’re looking to visit Arizona, check out my list of fun things to do in Phoenix with kids.
Leave a Reply