Petrified Forest National Park — Interstate Access, 2026 Fees & Truck Notes

01 Park overview

Petrified Forest is the only US national park that I-40 actually passes through — the 28-mile main park road begins at I-40 Exit 311 (Painted Desert / North Entrance) and ends at US-180 near Holbrook (South Entrance). Visitors driving cross-country can do the entire park as a 1.5-hour detour without backtracking. The park protects one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood on earth — 220-million-year-old Late Triassic logs replaced cell-by-cell with quartz — plus the multicolored badlands of the Painted Desert at the north end and significant Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the middle. The park has no entrance fee station — you pay at one of two visitor centers and receive a tag visible on your dashboard. Park gates close at posted hours; never stop overnight unless camping in a permitted backcountry area.

Only US national park that I-40 directly traverses
Largest concentration of petrified wood on earth (~220 million years old)
Includes the Painted Desert badlands and Newspaper Rock petroglyphs
Park has set hours — gates close (typically 5 PM in winter, 7 PM in summer)
No food, lodging, or fuel inside the park

02 Photos

Jasper Forest, Petrified Forest National Park Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA

03 Don't miss

Painted Desert Inn (historic CCC pueblo-style museum)
Crystal Forest loop trail (0.75 mi, dense petrified logs)
Blue Mesa Trail through banded badlands (1 mi)
Newspaper Rock petroglyphs overlook
Agate Bridge — a single petrified log spanning a wash

04 Getting there & truck/RV access

Route from interstate

From I-40

Exit 311 (Painted Desert / Park Road)

Direct — North Entrance is at the I-40 exit; South Entrance is 28 mi south on the park road, exiting onto US-180 near Holbrook

Big rigs & RVs

Truck access

The 28-mile main park road is paved end-to-end and accommodates any vehicle size. Both north and south entrances connect directly to interstate-class highways (I-40 and US-180), making this the most truck-accessible national park in the system.

Parking: Painted Desert Visitor Center (north) and Rainbow Forest Museum (south) both have large RV/oversize-capable lots. Truck-friendly fuel is at Holbrook (I-40 Exit 285/289) and Chambers (I-40 Exit 333). No commercial services inside the park.

Restrictions: Park gates close at posted hours — confirm the day's closing time at the entrance station. Off-road driving is strictly prohibited.

05 Seasonality & road closures

Best months: April–May and September–November — moderate temperatures, low storm activity.

Closures: No seasonal closures. Summer thunderstorms (mid-July through mid-September) bring brief flash-flood closures on side trails. Winter snow is occasional but the road is plowed.

Notes: Removing petrified wood is a federal offense — and tracked. The park's "conscience pile" of returned pieces (sent back by tourists who took them and felt cursed) is on display at the Rainbow Forest Museum.

06 Entrance fees (2026)

Pass	Price
Private vehicle (7-day)	$25
Motorcycle (7-day)	$20
Individual / walk-in (7-day, age 16+)	$15
Park-specific annual pass	$45 (Petrified Forest Annual Pass)
America the Beautiful (annual, all NPS sites)	$80 U.S. residents · $250 non-residents

2026 nonresident fee — does not apply here

The $100 NPS nonresident surcharge applies at 11 specifically named parks. Petrified Forest National Park is not on that list, so non-U.S. residents pay the same standard entrance fees as U.S. residents.

Fee-free days available for U.S. residents only beginning January 1, 2026.

Note: Park gates close at posted hours daily — verify hours at the visitor center before driving in.

Official NPS fee page →

07 Current alerts

No active NWS weather alerts or FEMA disaster declarations in Petrified Forest National Park's state(s) right now.

08 FAQ

How do I drive through Petrified Forest?

The 28-mile park road runs from I-40 Exit 311 (North Entrance / Painted Desert Visitor Center) south to US-180 near Holbrook (South Entrance / Rainbow Forest Museum). You can enter from either end and exit at the other without backtracking. Plan 1.5–2 hours including stops.

Does the $100 nonresident fee apply?

No. Petrified Forest is not on the 2026 NPS nonresident-surcharge list. The standard $25 vehicle fee applies to all visitors.

Can I drive through after the visitor centers close?

No. The park gates close at posted hours each day (5 PM winter, 7 PM summer typically). Vehicles inside at closing are escorted out.

Can I take a piece of petrified wood?

No — federal offense, $325+ fine. There are commercial gem shops outside the park (along I-40 in Holbrook and US-180) that sell legally collected petrified wood from private land, often at low prices.

From I-40

Truck access

2026 nonresident fee — does not apply here

Petrified Forest National Park on the live map