Petrified Forest to Overlook

Petrified Forest to Overlook is a remote 5.2-mile out-and-back from the Petrified Forest Trailhead that visits both the North and South areas of petrified wood. Climb to the prairie split, take the North branch and return to the marker, then visit the South area before retracing the shared approach. Allow two to four hours. This combined visit is shorter than the separate 10.4-mile loop; either fossil area can also be visited on its own roughly 3-mile out-and-back. The row’s “Overlook” name does not identify one signed viewpoint, so this version covers both valleys and their plateau views.

From the lift gate, an unpaved path climbs mostly uphill for about 0.6 mile through broken badlands to open prairie. You pass a fence; close it behind you. At the marker, the left branch heads north and the right branch south. Take the shorter North spur first: it drops into a valley where petrified wood is more concentrated, then you return to the junction. The South spur is a longer, gentler walk into a broader area, with smaller, more scattered pieces and larger trunks farther along.

The park protects one of the country’s largest concentrations of petrified wood. These trunks are remnants of a much older swampy landscape, preserved as mineralized wood while erosion later cut the surrounding badlands into buttes and valleys. Each branch ends in a different fossil-wood valley, and the plateau above gives you a wider view across the open country. For a photo, get above the North valley and frame one of the trunks with the ridged badlands behind it. Leave every fossil, rock, and piece of wood where it is; removing park resources is illegal.

There is little shade. The trail is unmaintained, with steep slopes, uneven ground, and loose stone; after wet weather the surface can be slippery or unstable. Carry ample water—the park recommends at least a liter per person per hour, especially in summer. Bison may be on or near the route, so give wildlife room. Pets are not allowed; leashed service animals are permitted.