Trip Planner: USA / Arizona / Petrified Forest National Park / Painted Desert

Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National Park

4.3

#1 of 16 in Things to do in Petrified Forest National Park

Like a striking canvas, the Painted Desert builds layer upon layer of color on hills made of siltstone, mudstone, and shale. The resulting view highlights the region's name, alternating oranges, white, reds, and pinks. This badlands area was formed of volcanic rock and limestone revealed by erosion over the years. Drive through the region along a paved road that stretches over plateaus on Navajo land with many lookout points. Choose to start, finish, or center your holiday on a trip to Painted Desert by using our Petrified Forest National Park online vacation planner .

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Painted Desert Tours

45-minute Helicopter Flight Over the Grand Canyon from Tusayan, Arizona BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $277

557 reviews

Duration: 45 minutes

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Grand Canyon Helicopter and Ground Tour From Phoenix BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $409

195 reviews

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Grand Canyon East Rim Drive by Jeep and IMAX Movie BOOK WITH VIATOR FROM $126

27 reviews

Duration: 3 hours

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Painted Desert Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2,237 reviews

Google

4.0

By 04Beau99 On May 18, 2018

Spent a few hours in the Petrified National Forest, the Painted Desert and Blue Mesa were beautiful but my favorite were the Giant Logs. The logs are absolutely gorgeous. Make sure to stop in the Visi... more »
By Trickstersawpix On May 17, 2018

I drove through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest park on my way to Flagstaff. Wanting to get there before dark, I did not have near enough time to enjoy the beauty of the drive through the park... more »
By DRroadrunner On May 13, 2018

My goodness... if nothing else, drive into the park and check this out from one of the overlooks! There are a couple where you can see for MILES on a clear day. One of them even had a chart where you ... more »

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By Amy Defalco On January 4, 2018

I loved it here. The views are breathtaking and serene. The petrified Forest is amazing. It's hard to comprehend that the fossils occurred naturally. Fabulous time. Use the Nat Park pass.

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By Josh Maximovich On February 17, 2018

This is worth taking the drive off the highway just to see the views. If you are into seeing the national parks and you're in Arizona to see the attractions they have to offer, buy a park pass while you're there and it'll cover all of their national parks including the rest of the national parks in the United States.

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By Chuck N Teo T On November 17, 2017

The painted desert is so beautiful. So much color and beauty in one place. The desert landscape is magnificent. This is one of m favorite National parks. There were plenty of viewpoint or lookouts. Each had a great view. You will have plenty of opportunities to take photographs at the colorful desert landscape. It was just mesmerizing and relaxing to look at all the scenery. This was a great trip and I am glad that we decided to take the time to drive through this magnificent National Park.

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By Ima Momfirst On April 28, 2018

Stunning..amazing. Beautiful

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By paramedic rkb On January 6, 2018

What a breathtaking View of Exquisite nature that our dear Lord has bestowed upon us. I have been here many times to experience this transcending world that we live in by our creator, our heavenly father, are powerful Almighty, amen

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