Parking
Use the marked Petrified Log parking area beside Valley of Fire Highway. Park only in designated spaces; the park map warns against roadside parking. The Cabins day-use area has shade and restrooms nearby, but is separate from the trail.
Overview
About Eastern Petrified Log Trail
Why go
- A colorful petrified log with very little walking
Heads up
- The log is the whole payoff; there is very little trail time
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Valley of Fire map
Full mapElevation1,737–1,763 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Valley of Fire alerts
- ClosureWest Entrance closed Monday–ThursdayThe West Entrance is closed Monday through Thursday; use the East Entrance on those days.Official details
- CautionFire restrictions in effectFire restrictions are in effect throughout Nevada State Parks, including Valley of Fire; follow them to help prevent wildfires and protect lives, property and natural resources.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Valley of Fire Tour Guide
Your drive to Eastern Petrified Log Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Valley of Fire State 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
East Petrified Log: One Trunk, a Short Stop0:00 / 0:17
“The East Petrified Log stop is coming up, with one colorful fossil trunk behind a protective fence. Give it about fifteen minutes for the short walk and a look.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Valley of Fire Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Historic Cabins: Sandstone Shelters
- Natural Arch Trail: Look for the Small Windows
- Brittlebush’s Silvery Leaves
- Elephant Rock: Find the Silhouette
- 34 audio storiesacross Valley of Fire’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mojave Desert Tortoise, Sidewinder, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 23 trails, 28 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 Eastern Petrified Log Trail
A quick geology stopEastern Petrified Log Trail is a very short 0.
Eastern Petrified Log Trail is a very short 0.1-mile out-and-back from its marked parking area to a petrified tree trunk and back. The natural-ground path is close to The Cabins, and the log is the whole payoff. It is an easy detour while driving the park's eastern side, not a hike to set aside half a day for.
Stop at the logThis walk follows the short path to the log and returns the same way.
This walk follows the short path to the log and returns the same way. One description mentions an uphill continuation toward a Fire Canyon overlook, but I couldn't verify its tread or public connection, so that extra distance is not included here. Check posted signs before going farther. Allow about 15 minutes for the walk and a look.
Leave it in placePetrified wood and other natural features are protected; removing or damaging them is illegal.
Petrified wood and other natural features are protected; removing or damaging them is illegal. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet. The nearby Cabins day-use area has shade and restrooms, separate from the trail.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Valley of Fire
638 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
11 sightingsMojave Desert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
23 sightingsSidewinderMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
18 sightingsBlack-tailed JackrabbitMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
11 sightingsRingtailMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
19 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Valley of Fire. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
