Blue Mesa Trail Guide: Best Hike in Petrified Forest

Imagine descending into a canyon of badlands, mounds of purple, gray, blue, and orange hills rolling all around you, and petrified wood sprinkled in the nooks and crannies.

Get ready to hike the best trail in Petrified Forest National Park, Blue Mesa! A trip to this remote, underrated Arizona park truly isn’t complete without a stroll through the colorful bentonite clay.

hiking the blue mesa trail in petrified forest national park

Before you head to Petrified Forest and hike the Blue Mesa Trail, there are a few things you should know. As someone who’s hiked this trail, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know!

In this detailed trail guide, I’ll share how to get there, the best time to go, what to bring, important know-before-you-go info, and a step-by-step trail description.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on the links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks so much for your support!

PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK AT A GLANCE

Before diving in, here are a few highlights for planning a trip to Petrified Forest National Park.

Getting There: The closest major airports to Petrified Forest are Phoenix Sky Harbor International and Albuquerque International, which are both about 3 hours from the park. Find affordable flights here.
Entrance Fee: $25/vehicle or FREE with an America the Beautiful Pass
Where to Stay: Camp in the park’s backcountry (there are no frontcountry campgrounds) or stay right outside the park in the town of Holbrook.
How to Get Around: You’ll need to rent a personal vehicle to get around Petrified Forest.
Best Time to Visit: September – May
How Long to Visit: 1 day Ultimate One Day Petrified Forest Itinerary

Table of Contents

Blue Mesa Trail Guide

Directions, Parking & Hours

The Blue Mesa Trail is located inside Petrified Forest National Park in northeast Arizona.

Just 90 minutes from Flagstaff and 2.5 hours from Sedona, Petrified Forest is a great day trip destination for many Arizona locals and visitors! And since it’s in the same state as the Grand Canyon and Saguaro, you could combine all of them into an exciting Arizona National Park road trip!

Getting to Petrified Forest from Flagstaff couldn’t be simpler. Take I-40 East all the way to the north entrance of the park (about 115 miles), or merge onto Highway 180 in Holbrook to reach the south entrance of the park.

Parking for Blue Mesa is about 3 miles down Blue Mesa Scenic Road. The paved lot is quite small, but since this isn’t a very busy National Park, you shouldn’t have a problem snagging a spot. Get Google Maps directions here.

There are no amenities at the trailhead, so plan on using the toilets provided at one of the visitor centers or Puerco Pueblo before your hike.

Finally, Petrified Forest closes early each day, typically around 5 PM, so you need to plan your hike accordingly. You do not want to get stuck inside the park! Also, the park doesn’t observe daylight savings time. Get current seasonal hours here.

Know Before You Go

Leashed dogs are allowed at Blue Mesa. Petrified Forest is one of the most dog-friendly National Parks in the USA!

It is illegal to remove petrified wood from the park. You will be fined! Pieces of petrified wood can be purchased at the gift shops in and around the park.

Please Leave No Trace when recreating outdoors. Leave the trail, petrified wood, and clay exactly as you find them. Please do not carve into the badlands, and do not move or take the wood. And make sure to pack out all of your trash.

Bonus points if you bring a trash bag and pick up other hikers’ garbage along the way!

When to Hike to Blue Mesa

While you can certainly hike Blue Mesa year-round, the best times of year to hike in Petrified Forest are spring and fall, when the weather is milder.

Temperatures can get quite hot in the summer (90+ degrees) and fairly cool in the winter (40-50 degrees), so spring and fall (60-70 degrees) are the most ideal seasons.

What to Bring

Here are some essentials to bring for your day hike to Blue Mesa:

10 essentials – Don’t hike without packing these items
Day pack – To store all of your essentials
Sun hat – To protect you from the intense desert sun
Microspikes – For winter hikes! It can get icy.

Blue Mesa Trail Description

Length: 1 mile
Type of Trail: Lollipop
Elevation Gain: 114 feet
Difficulty: Easy

From the trailhead, you’ll descend from the mesa down onto the canyon floor at a steep decline. You’ll get most of the elevation loss out of the way from this initial quarter-mile descent.

Stop and take in the scenery along the way – there are some great overlooks as you wind around the badlands and descend into the canyon.

Now begins the best part of the trail – the loop through the badlands! At the fork, you can choose the direction you want to hike. We hiked the loop counterclockwise, but you can travel in either direction. There isn’t a bad choice! You’ll get the same great views either way.

Did you know? Petrified Forest is one of the most dog-friendly National Parks in the USA. There’s even a Bark Ranger program for your four-legged furbaby!

The loop around the canyon is fairly flat. The terrain is a mix of pavement and gravel. Theoretically, wheelchairs and strollers could navigate this trail. Just be careful because the path is narrow, and the pavement is cracked in some places.

Continue to follow the 0.8-mile loop around the badlands. On the loop, you’ll feel like an ant as you wind through the behemoth mounds of blue, purple, peach, and gray-banded badlands.

Some of the hills look like they’re covered in snow or dipped in powdered sugar. Also, notice the colorful petrified wood tucked in the crevices, between the badlands, and scattered throughout the canyon floor.

Once you’ve completed the loop, you might have the urge to hike it again. I don’t blame you! Once you’re ready to head back to your car, ascend back up to the mesa via the same path you took to get down.