Parking
Use the Rainbow Forest Museum parking area, then cross the bridge to Jim Camp Wash and follow the signs to the Long Logs Trailhead. The mapped route starts at the trailhead beyond the bridge.
Overview
About Long Logs Trail
Why go
- The loop passes some of the park’s longest, brightest petrified logs.
- The paved approach and short loop fit a relaxed stop.
Heads up
- The loop itself has narrow turns and rough tread despite the paved first half-mile.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Petrified Forest map
Full mapElevation5,459–5,505 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Petrified Forest alerts
- ClosureAgate House closed to visitorsMentions Agate House, referenced in this guideAgate House is closed to the public because of physical safety concerns; stay at least 15 feet from the structure. - The closure remains in effect until terminated in writing by the park.Official details
- ClosurePainted Desert Visitor Center closed for constructionThe Painted Desert Visitor Center is closed for construction; visitor-center operations are at the Painted Desert Inn, two miles past the north entrance station.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Petrified Forest Tour Guide
Your drive to Long Logs Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Petrified Forest National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Petrified Forest audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Rainbow Forest Museum and Giant Logs0:00 / 0:35
“Up ahead is Rainbow Forest Museum, a good stop for seeing the park's prehistoric animals as well as its trees.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Petrified Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Agate House's Petrified Walls
- Teeth That Fooled Paleontologists
- Hamilili Point's Younger Fossil Story
- South Entrance Gift Shops and RV Stops
- 35 audio storiesacross Petrified Forest’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Coyote, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 16 trails, 33 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Long Logs Trail
The short walk among Long LogsLong Logs is a 1.
Long Logs is a 1.6-mile round-trip loop from the Long Logs Trailhead at Rainbow Forest, through a concentrated field of petrified wood. Set aside 60 to 120 minutes if you want time to look closely. The park's detailed directions add up to about 1.5 miles when they count a half-mile loop and a half-mile access trail each way, while the overview lists 1.6. Treat the total as approximate.
From Rainbow Forest to the loopStart at the Rainbow Forest Museum parking area, cross the bridge over Jim Camp Wash, and…
Start at the Rainbow Forest Museum parking area, cross the bridge over Jim Camp Wash, and follow the access path to the junction. Keep left for Long Logs. The first half-mile is paved; the loop is rougher and has narrow turns. Stairs to the shade shelter can be avoided.
Petrified wood beneath the badlandsThe loop runs at the foot of gray and purple badlands through one of the park's largest…
The loop runs at the foot of gray and purple badlands through one of the park's largest concentrations of colorful petrified wood, including some of its longest logs and many smaller pieces. Slow down to notice the colors and exposed log ends. For a photo, put a long log in the foreground with the badlands behind it. Leave the petrified wood where you find it.
Ground and accessThe park calls the walk relatively easy, but the loop is not smooth all the way: narrow turns,…
The park calls the walk relatively easy, but the loop is not smooth all the way: narrow turns, rough ground, and steep grades make it unsuitable for most wheelchairs and other mobility equipment. Strollers may be manageable on the loop. Leashed pets are allowed on developed trails. There is no trail reservation or activity fee; park entrance fees apply, and the trail is available during park hours year-round.
If you want a longer walkLong Logs and Agate House are separate trails that the park lists as a 2.
Long Logs and Agate House are separate trails that the park lists as a 2.6-mile round-trip combination. That adds the Agate House route; it is not the distance of the standalone Long Logs loop.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Petrified Forest
185 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
172 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
100 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
33 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
35 sightingsGunnison's Prairie DogMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
56 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Petrified Forest. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
