Petrified Forest National Park is the big reason many people stop in Holbrook, and it is closer than most visitors expect. The south entrance is about 18 miles east of town on Highway 180, and the north entrance sits right off I-40 at exit 311.
One 28 mile road connects the two, and driving it without stops takes about 45 minutes. Along the way you will find the colorful Painted Desert, fallen logs that turned to stone more than 200 million years ago, ancestral Puebloan sites and petroglyphs, and the only stretch of historic Route 66 protected by a national park.
Want every stop, trail and tip before you go? Read our local guide to the things to do in Petrified Forest National Park.
Entrance is $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle and $15 per person on foot or by bike for visitors 16 and older. The park is cashless, so bring a debit or credit card.
A $45 annual park pass and the $80 America the Beautiful pass are sold at the gate, and entry is free on National Park Service fee free days, including October 27 and November 11 in 2026. The park road is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mountain Standard Time, with longer hours from spring through fall. The park closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and Arizona does not change its clocks for daylight saving time.
Heading east on I-40, take exit 285 into Holbrook and follow the signs to Highway 180 so you reach the petrified wood first, then leave through the north entrance. Heading west, do the reverse and finish in Holbrook.
The only gas station and restaurant in the park are at the north entrance. The Painted Desert Visitor Center building is under construction, so visitor services are temporarily at the Painted Desert Inn two miles in.
There is no lodging or campground inside the park, which makes Holbrook the closest town to stay in near the south entrance. Taking any petrified wood from the park is illegal, even a small chip, but rock shops in town like Jim Gray's sell legally collected pieces.
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