Petrified Forest Fast Facts
How big is Petrified Forest National Park?
Petrified Forest covers a total area of 218,553 acres or 341 square miles.
How many people visit Petrified Forest National Park?
590,334 people visited Petrified Forest in 2021. A table showing all years can be found at Petrified Forest Visitation Stats.
When was Petrified Forest National Park created?
Petrified Forest was made a national park on December 9, 1962.
What are the highest and lowest elevations in Petrified Forest National Park?
Petrified Forest’s lowest point is 5,300 feet at the Puerco River. The highest point in Petrified Forest is 6,235 feet at Pilot Rock.
What time zone is Petrified Forest National Park located in?
Petrified Forest is in the Mountain Time Zone.
How much does it cost to enter Petrified Forest National Park?
$25 per private vehicle per week.
Five Random Facts About Petrified Forest
The park protects one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the world. Other large areas can be found in North Dakota, Egypt and Argentina.
The petrified wood in the park has been dated to be between 210 and 218 million years old.
The area was first protected as Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906. The park was elevated to national park status in 1962.
Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park that closes at night. There are no campgrounds in the park, and nowhere to stay the night. The gates are closed to try to prevent theft of the petrified wood the park protects.
Much of the park’s road winds through the Painted Desert, a strange and colorful landscape that could warrant a national park in its own right.
Where is Petrified Forest National Park?
Petrified Forest National Park is located in the eastern part of the state of Arizona, with the major highway Interstate 40 passing through it. It is in a remote area, with the town of Holbrook being the nearest of any size. Further directions and maps can be found at Getting to Petrified Forest.