Petrified Forest National Park has a beautiful nature trail behind the south Visitor Center called Giant Logs Trail. This short walk runs less than half a mile, but there some up and down sections, including stairs, and wheels would be impossible.
Giant Logs Trail is a great introduction to the park. For an optional donation of $1, you can pick up a trail guide for this tiny loop. We recommend picking up a trail guide because we really enjoyed learning as we walked the trail. There are eleven numbered signs and each one teaches a little bit about the petrified wood in the park. It also helps with some Junior Ranger questions.
Some of the highlights of the nature trail include trace fossils left by insects, knots that can be counted, and Old Faithful. Old Faithful is a massive log that has split into sections and to paraphrase the original park manager’s wife, “What Old Faithful is to Yellowstone this tree is to Petrified Forest National Park.”
There are different ways to wander on this trail, so we were grateful for the guide to keep us on the correct path. We love seeing the different colors and sizes of petrified wood. There are so many interesting pieces in Petrified Forest.
We highly recommend the Giant Logs Nature Trail. It’s short, easy, and very informative. For other family friendly hikes, check out our Kid Hikes in Petrified Forest post.
