Planning a trip to Petrified Forest National Park
Information
Contact Petrified Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest National Park, AZ 86028 (tel. 928/524-6228; www.nps.gov/pefo). The Petrified Forest Museum Association, Park Road 1 (P.O. Box 2277), Petrified Forest, AZ 86028 (tel. 928/524-6228, ext. 239), has several excellent books on the park. Written by retired geology professor Sidney Ash, Petrified Forest: A Story in Stone provides a good overview of the human and natural history of the park. Stephen Trimble's book Earth Journey: A Road Guide to Petrified Forest is almost as good as a guided tour of the park's scenic drive.
For information about area lodging and dining, contact the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce, 100 E. Arizona St., Holbrook, AZ 86025 (tel. 800/524-2459 or 928/524-6558; www.gotourholbrook.com).
Visitor Centers
The park has a visitor center at each end. Both sell books, videos, and area maps, and offer free brochures on the park's geology, flora, and fauna. The park and both visitor centers are open daily year-round, from 7am to 7pm in summer, with shorter hours at other times, and closed Christmas.
The Painted Desert Visitor Center, outside the park's north entrance gate, has general information on the park and shows a 20-minute film about the park. Two miles north of the park's south entrance station, the Rainbow Forest Museum shows the same film, plus it has displays on the formation of petrified wood, fossilized bones and teeth of ancient animals, and a display of letters from people who stole wood from the park and later regretted it. The latter is particularly compelling and often quite funny.
Also see the section on the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark under "Park Attractions," below.
Fees & Permits
Entrance to the park costs $10 per vehicle, $5 per visitor on foot, bicycle, or motorcycle. The required but free backcountry camping permits are issued at visitor centers.
Special Regulations & Warnings
Because an estimated 25,000 pounds of petrified wood are stolen from the park every year, the National Park Service has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for visitors who remove even the smallest pieces. Violators are subject to fines starting at $325. If rangers suspect you of removing any wood or other resources, they may detain you and search your car.
There are long stretches between water sources at the park, so fill containers at either visitor center before starting on the scenic drive.
While pets must be leashed, dogs are permitted on most trails in the park.
Getting There
Petrified Forest National Park is 117 miles east of Flagstaff and 180 miles north of Phoenix. The north entrance is 25 miles east of Holbrook on I-40; the south entrance is 20 miles east of Holbrook on U.S. 180. From Flagstaff, simply take I-40 east.
The Nearest Airport -- Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport (tel. 928/556-1234; www.flagstaff.az.gov, link under "Services") has daily air service between Flagstaff and Phoenix from US Airways, and has rental cars from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, and National.
When to Go
Avoiding the Crowds
Between 600,000 and 700,000 people visit the park each year, in part because it is so convenient for cross-country travelers, just a few hundred yards off I-40. Nearly everyone heads down the same 28-mile scenic drive, and the drive's 20 pullouts can get crowded.
There are three good ways to avoid the crowds. One: Arrive early in the day, because there aren't many visitors in the first few hours, it's also before the heat peaks, and the lighting on the rocks is great. Two: Stroll away from the parking areas. The pullouts attract far more people than the trails. Three: The most effective place to get away from it all here is a day hike into the Painted Desert Wilderness.
Seasons & Climate
With an average of just over 9 1/2 inches of precipitation annually, the park couldn't get much drier. Because it averages a lofty 5,800 feet in elevation, however, it's not as hot as many other areas in Arizona. Even in July, daily highs average in the mid-80s (30s Celsius), with nightly lows in the low 50s (10s Celsius). Of course, the park occasionally heats up -- temperatures sometimes top 100°F (38°C) in midsummer. The hottest months, July and August, are also the wettest, with afternoon storms cutting the morning heat and depositing nearly a third of the yearly precipitation. Storms continue into early fall, but the weather dries out as it cools. By winter it can get very cold, and snowstorms occasionally close the park. In January, daily highs average 42°F (6°C) and lows 19°F (-7°C). Spring tends to be blustery and dry, with daily highs increasing from the mid-50s (lower teens Celsius) in March to about 80°F (27°C) in June -- the driest month of all, with just over 1/4 inch of rainfall.
Seasonal Events
During March, special events mark Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month. Call the park office for details.
For about a week both before and after the June 21 summer solstice, rangers meet with visitors from 8 to 10am daily at Puerco Pueblo. The sun shines through a natural crack, directing a beam of light onto a smaller boulder beside it. The beam gradually moves down the edge of the rock to a small, circular petroglyph; it touches the center of the petroglyph on the summer solstice. Archaeologists believe the ancestral Puebloans used this petroglyph to monitor the summer solstice.
On most Saturdays during the summer there are Cultural Demonstrations in the park, which might include silversmithing, weaving, or performing.
