Parks / Arizona and the Utah Canyons
Petrified Forest
Stop 12 of 51 on the loop. Stay in Holbrook AZ, give it 2 nights, and plan the day around Petrified Forest Road.
- State
- AZ
- Stay in
- Holbrook AZ
- Nights on this route
- 2
- Month on this route
- April
- Don't miss
- Petrified Forest Road
- Getting here
- 235 mi from Tucson AZ, about 5 h 7 min.
- Next stop
- Grand Canyon, 177 mi, about 3 h 19 min.
About the Park
A landscape where deep time lies fully on display, Petrified Forest National Park blends colorful badlands, vast grasslands, and one of the world’s largest and most vivid collections of petrified wood. Spanning more than 200 million years of geologic history, the park protects ancient fossils, ancestral Puebloan sites, habitat for desert animals, and a sweeping stretch of historic Route 66.
Description from the National Park Service.
Where to Stay
On this route you sleep in Holbrook AZ. Gateway towns have more lodging, groceries and fuel than the park itself. If you want an in-park lodge instead, the busiest parks book up as early as 13 months out.
Entrance Fees
- $25 Private Vehicle
- $20 Motorcycle
- $15 Per person (walk or bike in)
An $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers entry at every national park; on a trip like this it pays for itself after three parks. Fees from the NPS, checked 2026-10-18.
Nearby Parks
- Grand Canyon about 137 mi as the crow flies
- Mesa Verde about 190 mi as the crow flies
- Saguaro about 191 mi as the crow flies
Official site: https://www.nps.gov/pefo/. Route data checked 2026-10-19.