A single large petrified log spans a gully in very pale sandstone at the edge of the mesa, grasslands beyond stretching towards another set of mesas in the distance.

Agate Bridge, original called Natural Bridge, is a partially exposed petrified log spanning a gully at Agate Mesa, forming a “bridge”. This landmark has long been one of the most popular attractions in Petrified Forest since the beginning and in the early history of the park many visitors had their picture taken while standing on the “bridge”. Fear of the collapse of this landmark by the railroad—it was a major attraction—led to masonry pillars being constructed underneath is April of 1903, later followed by concrete in 1911. These were replaced by concrete beam in 1917 at the cost of $1700, paid for by the government and installed by the railroad. The log is about 100’ in length and 4’ in diameter at its base. It spans 40’ across the chasm and is 16’ above the canyon floor. In the late 1800s the paleobotanist Lester Ward proclaimed Agate Bridge to be the “most noted single petrified log in the world.”

A large petrified log spans a pale sandstone gully with grasslands in the distance.

Agate Bridge

A single large petrified log spans a gully in very pale sandstone at the edge of the mesa, with spectacular views.

Location

Significance

Archeological remnant of a small Puebloan structure built of petrified wood pieces.

Length: 2 miles (3.2 km) round trip Trailhead: Rainbow Forest Museum parking area Archeologists believe that this small pueblo was occupied for a short time about 700 years ago. Agate House was an eight room home with entered through the ceiling. Please leave any archeological artifacts for all to enjoy. Do not climb or sit on site walls. The first half-mile of this trail is paved and suitable for strollers and various mobility equipment (power and manual). The rest of the trail may be negotiated over rough surface. Tread width: 75 in (191.3 cm), min 60 in (152.4 cm) Grade: 4.1%, max 14.7% Cross Slope: 2.3%, max 10.4%

Reconstructed Ancestral Puebloan village of petrified wood pieces.

Agate House

Reconstructed Ancestral Puebloan village built of petrified wood pieces.

Designation

Agate House Trail

Blue Mesa is edged by blue, purple, gray, and peach banded badlands that drop down from the road to the level of the trail and farther down from the northern escarpment. Sand dunes and grassland top the mesa. There are far views from the mesa top over prairie, outcrops, mesas, and badlands.

Blue Mesa is a significant landform located on a spur road halfway through Petrified Forest National Park. The road (~5 miles round trip) goes on top of the mesa with scenic overlooks of the landscape, badlands, trail, and hoodoos. The trailhead for Blue Mesa Trail is located halfway around the loop road at a sunshelter. The mesa consists of the Blue Mesa and Sonsela Members with petrified wood deposits. Spectacular views of blue, purple, gray, and peach banded badlands.

A pedestal log balances in front of a blue, purple, and gray banded badland at twilight.

Blue Mesa

Blue Mesa, one of the most beautiful spots in the park, consists of blue, purple, gray, and peach banded badlands with pieces of petrified wood.

Hikers on the paved trail descending into blue, purple, and gray badlands under a blue sky.

Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) loop Trailhead: Blue Mesa sun shelter Descending from the mesa, this alternately paved and gravel trail loop offers the unique experience of hiking among badland hills of bluish bentonite clay as well as petrified wood. Numerous plant and animal fossils have been found by paleontologists in the sedimentary layers of Blue Mesa. Steep grade at beginning of trail

Hikers walk amidst gray, blue, and purple badlands along a trail under a blue sky.

Visitors on the Blue Mesa Trail

Visitors walk along the spectacular Blue Mesa Trail.

Blue Mesa Trail

Multiple tan petrified logs gather along the Crystal Forest Trail under a blue sky with badlands in the background.

Length: 0.75 mile (1.2 km) loopTrailhead: Crystal Forest parking areaNamed for the presence of beautiful crystals that can be found in the petrified logs, this trail offers one of the best opportunities to experience the petrified wood deposits. Please leave the petrified wood for others to enjoy. Report any removal of petrified wood or other materials to park staff. Depending on the individual, parts of the trail are available to mobility devices. Tread width: 71 in (179.8 cm), min 65 in (165.1 cm)Grade: 5.2%, max 22.5%Cross Slope: 2.2%, max 11.3%

Multiple tan petrified logs gather along the Crystal Forest Trail under a blue sky.

Crystal Forest Trail

The decaying remnants of an old highway leaves the park road heading southeast through grassland, over washes, and by scenic badlands.

Once the main highway that provided access to the south entrance of the park, Old 180 went directly through a major deposit of petrified wood. The highway was rerouted to move it away from this natural resource, leaving a road that is slowly going back to earth, particularly on the eastern end.

Old road winding through grassland in front of banded badlands under a blue sky with some clouds

Old 180 E alignment and badlands

East Old 180

Giant Logs is located on a low hill behind the Rainbow Forest Museum. Large and colorful pieces of petrified wood are scattered over the entire area, a butterfly-shaped trail that is paved or graveled winding among the logs. The ground is often covered by rounded ancient river pebbles or some of the native grasses and other plants. The view is of Rainbow Forest with mesas to the north, a large wash beyond the parking lot, the park road heading northeast, historic Rainbow Forest structures (homes and historic lodge) and another log deposit and badlands beyond to the east. Far to the south you can see a little bit of the White Mountains over the grassland.

Giant Logs is part of Rainbow Forest in Petrified Forest National Park. Once an ancient log jam in a Late Triassic river, Giant Logs was the heart of the original national monument set aside in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. This area is located behind the Rainbow Forest Museum. Rainbow Forest was first called the Third Forest (based on tours leaving the once closest town of Adamana). An interpretive trail passes through the area and major features include some of the largest, most colorful petrified logs, Old Faithful log, and the Mather Plaque. There is a booklet available at the museum that corresponds to the numbered posts on the trail. There is a nearby geocache, seasonal drinking fountain, and wayside exhibit as well as the museum. Giant Logs is geologically in the Rainbow Forest bed of the Sonsela Member (mostly sandstone and conglomerate with some mudstones) of the Chinle Formation. The Sonsela Member contains the majority of the petrified wood deposits in the park and was deposited between 219-213 million years ago.

Large, colorful pieces of petrified wood cover a grassy hill with blue sky above.

Giant Logs

Giant Logs is part of Rainbow Forest in Petrified Forest National Park. Once an ancient log jam in a Late Triassic river, Giant Logs was the heart of the original national monument set aside in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Family sits on petrified logs at the trailhead for Giant Logs, grassy hills strewn with petrified wood behind and a blue sky overhead.

Length: 0.4 mile (0.6 km) loop Location: Behind Rainbow Forest Museum Trail guide available at Rainbow Forest Museum Giant Logs features some of the largest and most colorful logs in the park. "Old Faithful", at the top of the trail, is almost ten feet wide at the base! This paved trail has several sets of stairs and may not be suitable for strollers or mobility equipment. Tread width: 57 in (145.6 cm), min 48 in (121.9 cm) Grade: 4.8%, max 19.1% Cross Slope: 2.5%, max 13.4%

Hikers walking on trail through grassland and pieces of petrified wood, mostly cloudy sky above.

Visitors on Giant Logs Trail

Visitors walk along Giant Logs Trail through grassland and pieces of petrified wood.

Giant Logs Trail

Kachina Point is located on a spit of land on the Painted Dessert Rim, the wide paved trail ending at the circular overlook surrounded by a wall of native sandstone and sheer drop-offs. Views are all around, west, north, and east looking out over red badland topography, some distant views of petrified logs, pale tuff, grassland, and washes, including the very wide Lithodendron Wash to the north. The historic inn—a terracotta colored, stuccoed Pueblo Revival style building—is located passed some juniper trees and shrubs to the south.

Kachina Point overlooks the red part of the Painted Desert, located about 2 miles from the north entrance of Petrified Forest National Park. The overlook is reached by an easy accessible trail behind the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark. This is also the trailhead of the Kachina Point Trail which provides access to the northern wilderness area unit.

Red badland topography with highlights of sunlight under a cloudy sky.

Painted Desert View from Kachina Point

View from Kachina Point of the red part of the Painted Desert.

Kachina Point

Colorful petrified wood pieces in front of blue gray badlands along the Long Logs Trail.

Length: 1.6 mile (2.5 km) loop Trailhead: Rainbow Forest Museum parking area Long Logs is one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the park. Explore this ancient log jam at the base of gray badlands. Please leave petrified wood for others to enjoy. Report any removal of petrified wood or other materials to park staff. The first half-mile of this trail is paved and suitable for mobility equipment and strollers. Strollers may be negotiated on the loop, but it is not recommended for most wheelchairs and other mobility equipment due to its narrow turns and rough surface. Stairs to shade shelter can be avoided. Tread width: 85 in (216 cm), min 50 in Grade: 3.5%, max 20.5% Cross Slope: 2.9%, max 17.4%

Brightly colored petrified wood with gray badlands in background

Long Logs Trail

Park at the fourth pullout of Blue Mesa Loop Road. If you reach the pullout with the shade shelter you have gone too far. This is a great overlook for the north-facing escarpment of Blue Mesa.

View of mesas, escarpment, floodplain, with wayside exhibit under a blue sky.

OtBP Billings Gap Overlook Stop 1

Off the Beaten Path Billings Gap Overlook Route Stop 1

Look for the beginning of the About 25 ft (7.6 m) to the right of the People and Change wayside sign is the trailhead. The social trail continues for much of the route, but is not reliable. Just stay near the edge of the mesa and continue around in a clockwise direction.

View along the escarpment of the mesa with a narrow dirt trail heading off through the shrubs

OtBP Billings Gap Overlook-2

Trailhead for the Off the Beaten Path Billings Gap Overlook route.

Off the Beaten Path Billings Gap Overlook Route Stop 2

Park at the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark (2 miles from the north entrance of the park). If you know where to look, you can actually see Onyx Bridge from the overlook. Looking at the inn from the parking lot, the trail begins with steps to the left just behind the upright display signs. Take the steps down to the switchback trail that descends 300 feet down to the valley floor. Please be careful of the loose pebbles.

Two signs at the trailhead next to the Pueblo Revival Style inn

OB-1

An off the beaten path hike into the wilderness to a petrified log hidden in the red badlands.

Off the Beaten Path Onyx Bridge Route Stop 1

Painted Desert Community Complex National Historic Landmark is a long, low collection of buildings, mostly gray concrete block with flat roofs. From the parking lot, there is a large concrete block wall with the National Park Service brown arrowhead plaque next to Mid-Century style silver metal letters spelling out “Petrified Forest National Park” and “Painted Desert Visitor Center”. The visitor center is behind this wall perpendicular to a similar block of a building that houses the diner and giftshop, both with a long wall of windows. The plaza has some trees in planter beds. The buildings are all very Mid-Century gray concrete block, glass, and native stone

Painted Desert Community Complex National Historic Landmark is a Mid-Century style collection of buildings, half for housing and workspace, half for the public. There is a visitor center, bookstore, giftshop, gas station/convenience store, diner, plaza, picnic area, restrooms, passport stamps, and more.

Mid-Century style architecture around people in a shady plaza.

Painted Desert Community Complex

Painted Desert Community Complex National Historic Landmark is a Mid-Century style collection of buildings.

Green ink round stamp with text and date of Petrified Forest National Park

Main PEFO Cancellation Stamp

Green ink round stamp with text and date of Petrified Forest National Park Historic Route 66

PEFO 66 Cancellation Stamp

Multiple dated stamps for Petrified Forest National Park: Painted Desert Inn NHL, Route 66, Painted Desert, and main one. Picture stamps of Painted Desert and Junior Ranger badge.

Painted Desert Community Complex National Historic Landmark

Historic Pueblo-Revival style building sitting on the edge of a mesa above the red badlands of the Painted Desert, lit by dawn.

Stone Tree House Built of petrified wood and other native stone, the Painted Desert Inn was the vision of Herbert David Lore. While his family remembers the finished building prior to 1920, Lore registered the inn with the land office in 1924, fulfilling his responsibilities under the Homesteading Act. For almost twelve years, Lore operated the “Stone Tree House” as a tourist attraction. Visitors could eat meals in the lunchroom, purchase American Indian arts and crafts, and enjoy a cool drink in the downstairs taproom. Six small rooms—cubicles really—were available for two to four dollars per night. Lore also gave two-hour motor car tours through the Black Forest in the Painted Desert below the inn. The Stone Tree House was an oasis in the Painted Desert, and quite isolated. A shop containing a lighting-plant supplied electricity, as the inn was not connected to electrical lines. Water was hauled from Adamana, ten miles south on the Puerco River. Unfortunately, Lore had built his inn on a seam of bentonite clay. As the clay swells and shrinks in response to changes in moisture, the foundation of the inn shifts. Early on, the Painted Desert Inn began to show cracks in the walls and water damage.   CCC In the early 1930s, Lore had expressed an interest in selling or exchanging his property “in order that it could be preserved and protected.” He was probably also concerned about the integrity of the building. Petrified Forest National Monument purchased the Painted Desert Inn and four sections of land—four square miles—for $59,400 in 1936. In the early 1900s, National Park Service Rustic style architecture—nicknamed Parkitecture—arose in the National Park System. This style reflected its connection with the Arts and Crafts movement through buildings that harmonized with their natural environment and regional culture. In the Southwest, Pueblo Revival Style epitomizes this movement, drawing from the Puebloan and Spanish Colonial cultures. Pueblo Revival Style features stuccoed masonry, thick walls, earth tones, flat roofs, and projecting roof beams (vigas). Due to the structural problems of the inn and popularity of Pueblo Revival Style in the 1930s, the Painted Desert Inn was redesigned. Well-known for the Southwestern influence of his designs, National Park Service architect Lyle Bennett created a new look for the inn. Bennett first started as a ranger in 1927, but moved on to use his degree in fine art to become one of the best and most sought-after architects in the National Park Service. He was considered a master of the Pueblo Revival Style. More of his work can be seen at White Sands and Bandelier National Monuments and Mesa Verde National Park. The workers that made his plans a reality were the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In the 1930s, men were finding relief from the Depression through the CCC. They built roads, buildings, trails and bridges in many national parks and other federal and state areas, including Petrified Forest National Monument. Throughout the country, the men of the CCC have left their mark on many historic structures. The CCC used ponderosa pine and aspen poles cut from nearby Arizona forests for roofing beams and smaller crossbeams (savinos). Light fixtures were hand-made from punched tin, and wooden tables and chairs were given American Indian designs. The beautiful skylight panels were hand-painted by the CCC workers, designs of prehistoric pottery. Concrete floors were etched and painted with patterns based on Navajo blanket designs.   Open for Business The fine work of the CCC gave the Painted Desert Inn new life. The inn reopened for business of July 4, 1940, under the management of Edward McGrath for Standard Concessions. The Painted Desert Inn supplied Route 66 travelers with meals, souvenirs, and lodging. It was popular with local residents as a place for meetings and special events. The good times ended with the beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War II. The CCC was disbanded as most of the young men went to war. Travel was curtailed by wartime rationing. The inn closed in October 1942, reopening five years later under new management.   The Fred Harvey Company The Painted Desert Inn reopened in the late 1940s under the renowned Fred Harvey Company, a business with important ties to Southwest, railroad, and tourism history. Fred Harvey started his company as a partnership with the Santa Fe Railroad in 1876. His facilities for travelers were well known for comfort and quality. The company’s architect and interior designer, Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, arrived in December of 1947. She was already noted for her innovative Southwestern concepts when she came to the Painted Desert Inn. Along with renovations and repair, Colter created a new color scheme. She ordered new plate glass windows placed in strategic walls of the Inn to take advantage of the magnificent view. Fred Kabotie, a renowned Hopi artist, was hired to paint murals on the dining room and lunchroom walls. The scenes are glimpses into Hopi culture: the Buffalo Dance, a trek to a sacred salt lake, planting time, and Tawa—the Hopi sun god. The sun face was also the logo of the Fred Harvey Company. Kabotie had previously worked for the company at the Grand Canyon and other locations. Colter was not the only woman that made history with the Fred Harvey Company. Frustrated by rowdy male employees, the Fred Harvey Company recruited women from towns and cities in the East and Midwest to serve customers. These young ladies had to be of good moral character, have at least an eighth grade education, display good manners and be neat and articulate. Their contract stipulated that they could not marry and must abide by all company rules during the term of employment. If hired, the women were given a rail pass to get to their place of employment, a smart uniform, good wages, and room and board. Since their beginning in the 1880s, the Harvey Girls have become American legends. The Harvey Girls of the Painted Desert Inn, from the late 1940s and through the 1950s, still have local ties.   Preserving Our Legacy Thanks to the concern and support of the public, Painted Desert Inn remains a testament to the historic legacy of Petrified Forest National Park. Although its history is intriguing, the building is difficult to maintain. Cracks form in many of the walls. Window and door frames swell and skew. Water damage and cracks threaten the beautiful Kabotie murals. The seam of bentonite clay beneath the foundation of the inn continues to cause structural problems. Severe structural damage to the inn forced the Fred Harvey Company to move to the newly completed visitor center complex in 1963. The inn’s doors closed while debate over demolition versus preservation went on for many years. The park set aside funds and scheduled demolition of the building for 1975. Due to a public campaign to save the Painted Desert Inn, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and reopened on a limited basis as the Bicentennial Travel Center. Because of its fine examples of Pueblo Revival Style design by Bennett, historic work by the CCC, touches by Mary Colter, and Kabotie’s murals, the Painted Desert Inn became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. During the most recent work between 2004 and 2006, “modernizing” some of the structural elements in the building will help postpone damage—thirteen “floating” roofs, joint-less pipes in the walls, and re-laid flagstones to help with drainage. Even while bringing the structure into the present, the park is trying to maintain the historical integrity of the building and attempting to present the inn as it was in its heyday during the late 1940s into the 1950s. These rehabilitation projects have continued to preserve the inn for future generations to enjoy, thanks to generous public support. The inn continues to inspire and charm visitors. It is opened year round with shorter hours than the rest of the park. During the summer there is an ice cream parlor downstairs harking back to its past service.

Historic Pueblo-Revival style building sitting on the edge of a mesa above the Painted Desert

Painted Desert Inn NHL

Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark

Puerco Pueblo is located on a mesa top with fallen boulders around the base on which there are many contemporary petroglyphs (rock art panels). The walls are less than a few feet high, but show quite a few small rooms surrounding a large plaza. The site is covered with native plants. The trail is paved and lined with timber, gabion, and masonry barriers to protect the site. The mesa overlooks the Puerco River Valley, cottonwood and willow growing in thickets along the sometimes seemingly dry watercourse.

Puerco Pueblo is located at mile marker 11 (11 miles from the north entrance of Petrified Forest National Park), the only ancestral Puebloan village that is easily accessible to the public. The 1/3 of a mile loop trail meanders through the ancient site, complete with exhibits along the pathway as well as in the mini-museum located in the historic check station half way around the loop. The stabilized masonry walls are only a fraction of the archeological site. Petroglyphs can also been seen close to the trail. The site was occupied over 650 years ago.

Puerco Pueblo masonry walls just after sunset with a partly cloudy sky, mesa in the background.

Puerco Pueblo

Ancestral Puebloan site with easy loop trail, petroglyphs, and a mini-museum.

This overlook has a parking lot with some pull through sites, bike rack, wayside exhibits, a scenic view of the red part of the Painted Desert, and two trailheads. Trails from this spot include the Painted Desert Rim Trail and the Tawa Trail. The point is named for Tawa, the Hopi Sun Spirit. According to Hopi beliefs Tawa is the Creator, and it was he who formed the First World out of Tokpella, or Endless Space, as well as its original inhabitants.

Overlooking white and red badlands from mesa edge at twilight, blue sky.

Tawa Point

Tawa Point overlooks the red part of the Painted Desert and looks towards the Painted Desert Inn. The point is also a trailhead.

Hiker walking through the grassland under sunset clouds and sky.

Tawa Point to Painted Desert Visitor Center 1.2 miles (1.9 km) one way Enjoy the tranquility of the grassland as the trail leads you from scenic Tawa Point to the Painted Desert Visitor Center. The Tawa Trail is a perfect place to stretch your legs after a long road trip. In Hopi ideology, Tawa refers to the Sun Spirit, the Creator of the World. The Hopi are one of several current Native American groups who are connected to the rich, varied history of Petrified Forest. Groomed surface Elevation gain: 81 ft (24 m) Elevation loss: 28 ft (8.5 m) Accessibility information: Meets standards for outdoor developed areas. Typical grade 2.3% with grades up to 8.3% Typical cross slope: 2% Max cross slope: 5% Typical tread width: 60 in (152.4 cm) No obstacles

Tawa Trail

Conical badlands surround the pullout with bands of gray, red, blue, and white. The landscape seems barren, but beautiful with the park road bisecting the scene.

The Tepees is a area of the park named for the conical hills with banded mudstones that were thought to resemble tepees—or tipis as some people spell it. Tipis are not part of the culture in this region, but some Navajos have pointed out one of the hills that resembles a male hogan.

Red and gray badland hills against a mostly cloudy sky.

The Tepees

Red and gray badland hills are beautifully barren.

The Tepees North Pullout

Conical badlands surround the pullout with bands of gray, red, blue, and white. The landscape seems barren, but beautiful with the park road bisecting the scene. The gravel remnants of an old road leads towards the badlands, the trail to Blue Forest.

The Tepees is a area of the park named for the conical hills with banded mudstones that were thought to resemble tepees—or tipis as some people spell it. Tipis are not part of the culture in this region, but some Navajos have pointed out one of the hills that resembles a male hogan. The south parking lot of the Tepees is the trailhead for the Historic Blue Forest Trail.

Colorfully banded badlands against a puffy white cloud and blue sky.

The Tepees is a area of the park named for the conical hills with banded mudstones that were thought to resemble tepees—or tipis as some people spell it.

The Tepees South Pullout

Park Hours: 8am to 5pm, MST. Don't forget that Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings. Would you like to see the park film? It is located at the park's YouTube Channel as well as the park's giftshops.