Is Petrified Forest National Park worth it?
Petrified Forest earns its high experience score by delivering something genuinely rare: 225-million-year-old logs turned to crystal, scattered across painted badlands you can drive through or hike off-trail at will.
At $10 entry it is one of the best-value parks in the Southwest. The scenic road alone justifies the stop, but the park rewards those who get out of the car, especially backcountry hikers who can spend a night surrounded by fossil-studded terrain under some of the darkest skies in Arizona.
Who it is for
Road-trippers on Route 66, geology enthusiasts, and families with curious kids will get the most out of this park. Visitors seeking water-based recreation, dense forest, or strenuous mountain terrain should look elsewhere.
Highlights
- Off-trail and backcountry hiking through badlands with petrified wood lying openly on the ground
- Stargazing and astronomy in a certified dark-sky environment far from city light pollution
- A scenic park road that connects the entire landscape and works well as a self-guided auto tour
- Junior Ranger program and hands-on citizen science activities that give kids a real stake in the fossils
Editor's tipThe park road runs roughly 28 miles and can close without warning due to weather, so check conditions before committing to a backcountry camping permit. Summer thunderstorms build fast in the afternoon, so start any hiking early and carry more water than you think you need in this semi-arid environment.
