Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park is a national park of the United States in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. It stands 14 mi northeast of Sun Valley. Running it is the National Park Service. Over 2025, 316K visitors passed through.
A national park, 14 mi northeast of Sun Valley
Visits fell 44% in 2025
The National Park Service counted 315,951 visitors in 2025, down from 559,254 the year before. Visitors ↓
Plan where you’ll sleep
The nearest town with many places to stay is Holbrook, 25 miles southwest. Where to stay ↓
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 85K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 96% of the 7,770 attractions we track.
Summers are hot
July highs run 93–93°, and about 72 days a year reach 90°. When to go ↓
Best month: May
May is the mild month, with a high of 80°. When to go ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Crowds, highs and lows
Pick a quieter month for Petrified Forest from the chart below.
Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park is a national park of the United States in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, the park covers about 346 square miles (900 square kilometers), encompassing semi-desert shrub steppe as well as highly eroded and colorful badlands. The park's headquarters is about 26 miles (42 km) east of Holbrook along Interstate 40 (I-40), which parallels the BNSF Railway's Southern Transcon, the Puerco River, and historic U.S. Route 66, all crossing the park roughly east–west. The site, the northern part of which extends into the Painted Desert, was declared a national monument in 1906 and a national park in 1962. The park received 644,922 recreational visitors in 2018.
- Type
- National Park
- Established
- 1962
- Area
- 232 square miles
- Elevation
- 5,325 ft
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Listed
- Tentative World Heritage Site (2008) · International Dark Sky Park (2018)
- Wikipedia readers
- 85K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/pefo
Visiting: the details
- Private Vehicle$25
- Per Person$15
- Motorcycle$20
- Commercial Entrance - Sedan$25
A base for Petrified Forest National Park
You can sleep inside the park (1 place). For a bed close by, look to Holbrook (28) and Sun Valley (4).
Stay in the park
- Rainbow Forest Lodge lodge or cabins
Holbrook
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
4,866 people
25 mi southwest of Painted Desert Visitor Center · 11 mi to the park
Compare 5 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holbrook | 25 mi southwest | 35 min | 28 14 hotels · 9 motels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground · 1 RV park | 4,866 | $164K |
| Sun Valley | 14 mi southwest | 20 min | 4 1 campground · 3 RV parks | 74 | — |
| Snowflake | 42 mi southwest | 1 hr | 5 2 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 1 RV park | 6,902 | $272K |
| Joseph City | 32 mi west | 50 min | 2 2 RV parks | 2,153 | $177K |
| Sanders | 28 mi east | 40 min | 1 1 hotel | 684 | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
More to see nearby
Each of these is within 59 miles.
51 mi City parkStandin' on the Corner Park
1in town AttractionPainted Desert Inn
48 mi Ancient siteHawikuh Ruins
45 mi National Historic SiteHubbell Trading Post National Historic Site45K visitors a year
58 mi MuseumNavajo Nation Museum
58 mi Zoo & aquariumNavajo Nation Zoological and Botanical ParkPhoto credits
Standin' on the Corner Park: Tpaairman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Painted Desert Inn: TheCatalyst31, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hawikuh Ruins: Smithsonian Institution from United States, No restrictions · Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site: Jsweida, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Navajo Nation Museum: Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Navajo Nation Zoological and Botanical Park: Taken by Staff of the Navajo Nation Zoo, Public domain
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315,951 visits in 2025
The chart runs from 2016 to 2025.
Asked about Petrified Forest
What town is Petrified Forest National Park near?
Sun Valley, AZ, about 14 miles southwest.
When is the best time to visit Petrified Forest National Park?
May, with a high of 80°. June is the busiest month (about 60,122 visitors).
How many people visit Petrified Forest National Park each year?
315,951 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 644,922, set in 2018.
What is the closest airport to Petrified Forest National Park?
Show Low Regional (SOW), about 57 miles away. The nearest big hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), about 170 miles.
Where should I stay near Petrified Forest National Park?
Inside the park: Rainbow Forest Lodge. Nearby: Holbrook (25 mi, 28 places to stay), Sun Valley (14 mi, 4 places to stay) and Snowflake (42 mi, 5 places to stay).
Tips from people in Sun Valley
Nobody has posted a tip yet; ask or answer in Sun Valley’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.