Want to visit one of the most underrated national parks in the country? Visiting Petrified Forest National Park outside of Holbrook, Arizona will blow your mind and excite you. Even if you are in the park for a short time, you need to hike the Blue Mesa trail in Petrified Forest.
After traveling to over 36 national parks this year, I had very low expectations for this park. However, it seriously exceeded them all. I was in awe of the wild badlands that sprawl throughout the park and the crazy look of the petrified wood. The Blue Mesa hike is the perfect trail to take, because it has most of the parks cool natural features in one trail.
I have written a comprehensive guide to this fantastic walk in the Petrified Forest. Find out everything you need to know about hiking this trail including hike details, packing guidelines, and important things to know.
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Table of Contents
Blue Mesa Trail Details
Quick Hike Details
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 111 Feet
Type: Loop
Length: 1 mile
Blue Mesa Hike Description
This is a paved trail, so it is accessible for everyone and it’s very family friendly! Once you get to the trailhead, you will start this hike at the top of the hill. Although you begin at the peak, you cannot see the full length of the trail until you continue walking down the hill and you go around the bend. From there, you will get a wonderful view of the badlands and the area that you will explore!
Continue down the trail to get into the heart of the landscape. You will get to a divide in the trail, where you can decide whether you want to loop around to the left or the right. It doesn’t matter which one you choose to do, because you will end up going over the same things regardless. Along the way, you will see large pieces of Petrified Wood. Remember that you can go near them and look closely, but you should not harm them in anyway or take anything!
Once you’ve completed the loop you will have to walk up the fairly steep hill to get back to your car. That is the hardest part of the walk. Even though this trail is very easy, it is still a hike that I will never forget. It’s an incredibly unique landscape that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Make sure to stop every so often to admire your surroundings.
How to Get There
The closest airports to this park are the Albuquerue, New Mexico and the Phoenix, Arizona airports. However, you will have to drive from either of these places to get into the forest. There are two entrances into the park: the North Entrance and the South Entrance.
If you want to enter the North end then you will take exit 311 off of Interstate 40. Once you enter the park from the North, you can continue down the main road for 15 miles before turning left onto Blue Mesa Scenic Road to find the trailhead area. Travelers who want to enter the South Entrance will take exit 285 and then continue on Highway 180 for 19 miles to get into the park. From the South you will drive 13 miles before turning right on the Blue Mesa Scenic Road to get to the hike.
Best Time to Hike
The best time to go to Petrified Forest Blue Mesa Trail is during the time of year where temperatures are more mild. You will be able to stay out for longer and the hike will be less dangerous to complete. Winter, late Fall, and early Spring are great times to hike in this park, because temperatures are lower and the sun is less strong.
Similarly, you will want to avoid hiking this trail during the peak heat of the day. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times of days to go, so that you won’t have to deal with the heat of the mid-day sun. However, Petrified Forest has strict opening and closing times, so you’ll want to make sure you plan on arriving after they open or leaving the park before it closes at night.
Things to Know Before You Go
- Petrified Forest is one of the few National Parks with strict opening and closing times. Park hours are from 8 am- 5 pm for much of the year and then they extend until 6 pm for a few months. You must be on the road heading out of the park when it’s closing time. There are plenty of signs reminding you of this!
- Arizona is the only state in the US (for now) that does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so this means that they are on Mountain Standard Time year round. This park is close to other states, so if you are coming from out of state you will want to keep this in mind.
- Petrified Forest is not open on November 25th or December 25th, but it is open the rest of the year.
- In order to enter the park you will need to pay the entrance fee. It is $20 per vehicle or you can use one of the parks passes like the America the Beautiful Pass.
- DO NOT TAKE ANY PETRIFIED WOOD WITH YOU!!!! There is a minimum fine of $325 for anyone that damages or takes the Petrified Wood. You can also recieve jail time. Also, people report having bad luck after they took wood from the park, so you don’t want to mess with that kind of juju.
- Remember the Leave No Trace Principles and make sure to respect the National Park.
- Pets are allowed in the entire park except for inside of buildings. However, they must remain on leashes at all times.
What to Pack
Petrified Forest can get extremely hot in the late Spring, Summer, and early Fall with temperatures in the climbing into the 100s. So, you will want to protect your skin, pack the 10 essentials, and bring plenty of water. This hike is relatively easy, but with the climate you will still need to be careful!
Packing List:
- Comfortable Walking Shoes
- Small Pack
- ½ Liter of Water
- Snacks
- First Aid Kit
- Layers
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses or Hat
Final Thoughts
Petrified Forest is an underrated National Park with incredible landscapes and unique natural wonders to explore. If you only have time for one thing in the park, then you should hike the Blue Mesa trail. This will allow you to see the Petrified Wood up close and marvel at your mind boggling surroundings. I hope you add this hike to your bucket list!
Let me know if you found this guide to the Blue Mesa trail helpful in the comments!
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