Learn About the Park
OverviewInterstate 40 bisects Petrified Forest National Park in northeast Arizona, making a visit quite easy even for those just passing through.
Petrified Forest National Park Points of Interest & Stops
Browse points of interest in Petrified Forest National Park, including overlooks, trailheads, waterfalls, visitor centers, and other stops that help shape a stronger park itinerary.
Best Stops and Park POIs in Petrified Forest National Park
Use this Petrified Forest National Park POI collection to compare stops, prioritize landmarks, and decide which places belong on the route before you open the map or start a trip plan.
Point of interest
Interstate 40 (I-40)Running east-west, Interstate 40 (I-40) bisects the park into northern and southern units.
Point of interest
Petrified Forest RoadPetrified Forest Road, the main park road, runs north-south for 28 miles from end to end.
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Painted Desert Visitor CenterJust off Interstate 40 is the Painted Desert Visitor Center, in the north unit of the park.
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North Entrance StationThe North Entrance Station for Petrified Forest National Park is just north of Interstate 40 near the park's main visitor center.
Point of interest
Tiponi PointTiponi Point is the first or last viewpoint you'll come to, depending on the direction you are driving.
Point of interest
Tawa PointThe Painted Desert Rim Trail has trailheads at Tawa Point and Kachina Point; it's about a one-mile roundtrip between the two points.
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Painted Desert InnThis inn has spend almost 100 years overlooking the Painted Desert.
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Kachina PointThe Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark at Kachina Point once served as a way station for travelers along historic Route 66.
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Chinde PointThe Navajo word "chinde" means ghost or unwelcome spirit, perhaps a reference to the dinosaur bones found in abundance here.
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Pintado PointPintado Point is the highest point that's accessible from the park road in Petrified Forest National Park.
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Nizhoni PointVisitors who enter Petrified Forest National Park at the north entrance can head north past a number of scenic overlooks, each providing a view of the Painted Desert.
Point of interest
Whipple PointWhipple Point was named for U.S. Army Lt. Amiel Whipple, who passed this way in 1853 on a surveying mission.
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Lacey PointVisitors who enter Petrified Forest National Park at the north entrance can head north past a number of scenic overlooks, each providing a view of the Painted Desert.
Point of interest
Historic Route 66Immortalized in the 1946 song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66," a portion of this legendary road runs through Petrified Forest National Park.
Point of interest
Puerco RiverBisecting the park with an east/west flow, the 167-mile-long Puerco River is the main tributary of the Little Colorado River.
Point of interest
Puerco PuebloPuerco Pueblo is a 100-plus room pueblo site located near the Puerco River.
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Newspaper RockNewspaper Rock, in the southern portion of the park near Puerco Pueblo, the Teepees and Blue Mesa, features more than 650 petroglyphs.
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The TepeesThese cone-shaped hills lie along the park's main road, in the southern unit of Petrified Forest.
Point of interest
Blue Mesa Loop RoadThis 3.5-mile loop drive provides easy access to the Blue Mesa region of Petrified Forest National Park.
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Blue MesaSome of the park's most beautiful badlands, the Blue Mesa area is accessible via a 3.5-mile loop road off the main park highway.
Point of interest
Agate BridgeSpanning a gully like a bridge, Agate Bridge is in fact a large petrified log.
Point of interest
Jasper ForestIn the southern portion of the park, about 10 miles north of the south entrance station and along the park's main road, is Jasper Forest.
