How to Spend One Day in Petrified Forest National Park With Kids
The Park
What I remember about Petrified Forest from a visit when I was a child: lots of wood that looked like rocks. While that’s not untrue about the park, there is a lot more to it! I was enchanted by the rock formations, multi-colored mesas, and, of course, petrified wood. We did exactly what the NPS Points of Interest page suggested, following the route and stopping along the way. Here are some of my favorite spots.
Painted Desert Visitor Center
This is a good start and you can actually go into the visitor center before you enter the park. They have a station for stamps inside as well as some info about wildlife and geology. We brought a picnic and ate at the tables outside, but there’s also a cute Route 66 -themed restaurant (and a handy gas station).
Painted Desert in Petrified Forest National Park
Painted Desert Inn
I’m a sucker for 1920s and 1930s architecture, so I Ioved exploring the Painted Desert Inn. It functions as a museum now with contemporary art and historic furniture. The views are spectacular as well. My kid liked seeing the 1930s dining room set up inside.
Painted Desert in Petrified Forest National Park
Newspaper Rock
Get out your binoculars here. There are over 650 petroglyphs to see! In addition to the rock art, you can see where indigenous people gardened. My daughter liked imagining what the messages and pictures on the rocks meant.
Newspaper rock in Petrified Forest
Blue Mesa
We didn’t have time to do the hike through the center, but the drive along the top of the mesas was well worth it. The lines of colors in the mesas look like they have been painted on. My daughter called them rock monsters and played a game trying not to wake the “baby monsters” (smaller mesas).
Blue Mesa
Giant Logs
Out the back exit of the Rainbow Forest Museum, you can get up close to some very large petrified logs. Even if you don’t have time to walk the trail, take the time to step out on the trailhead. Kids will like comparing their size to the logs.
We spent about two hours in Petrified Forest. You could certainly spend more! If we had more time, I would do the Blue Mesa hike and attend one of the sunset ranger talks. But, if you only have a little time, you’ll feel like it was worthwhile.
