Parking
Use the Puerco Pueblo parking area; the loop starts at the south end of the lot.
Overview
About Puerco Pueblo Trail
Why go
- Walk among the pueblo's surviving room walls
- Petroglyph views and a seasonal solar marker
Heads up
- A very short stop rather than a longer hike
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Petrified Forest map
Full mapElevation5,348–5,367 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Petrified Forest alerts
- 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
- ClosureAgate House closed to visitorsAgate 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Petrified Forest Tour Guide
Your drive to Puerco Pueblo 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
Puerco Pueblo's River Community0:00 / 0:36
“You're nearing Puerco Pueblo, the low sandstone remains of a village that once had more than a hundred rooms. It takes a little imagination: much of the settlement is still buried.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Petrified Forest Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Newspaper Rock's Petroglyphs
- Arizona Near the Equator
- Puerco Pueblo’s Sun Marker
- Pronghorn’s White Flash
- 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 Puerco Pueblo Trail
The short loopPuerco Pueblo is a 0.
Puerco Pueblo is a 0.3-mile mostly paved loop from the south end of the parking area, through a partially excavated village to petroglyph views at the south end. It is a short interpretive stop rather than a workout; allow about 30 minutes if you pause at the signs. The main route suits strollers and manual or powered mobility equipment, with one short spur as the exception.
Inside the villageMore than 100 sandstone-block rooms surround a plaza.
More than 100 sandstone-block rooms surround a plaza. At its largest, around 1300, the village may have held about 200 people. The rooms served as living and storage space; cooking and craftwork centered on the plaza, with underground kivas used for ceremonies.
A river communityThe nearby Puerco River supported farming on its floodplains and terraces, where people grew…
The nearby Puerco River supported farming on its floodplains and terraces, where people grew corn, beans and squash. It also served as a travel and trade corridor. The village was largely abandoned by about 1380 as residents sought a more suitable place amid late-14th-century climate change.
Look for the solar markerOne circular petroglyph at the south end is a solar marker.
One circular petroglyph at the south end is a solar marker. For about two weeks around June 21, sunrise light and shadow pass across its rings. It is a precise detail to look for after walking through the rooms.
Respect the siteStay on the public path.
Stay on the public path. Do not climb on boulders or walls or touch petroglyphs; the sensitive area above the trail at the south end is closed except for park-sanctioned guided groups. Pets must be leashed on paved trails, but the short spur's pet access is unclear.
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.
