Giant Logs Trail: Petrified Forest National Park
Giant Logs Trail in Petrified Forest National Park is a short but incredible hike with some of the park’s best scenery. This half-mile loop is great for the whole family and is dog-friendly, so long as your furry friend is on a leash. The trailhead is behind the Rainbow Forest Museum, about 2.5 miles from the park’s south entrance off U.S. Route 180. You can pick up a trail guide at the Museum.
The Giant Logs Trail is part of Petrified Forest’s Rainbow Forest area. It is an ancient log jam that once backed up a river running through the area. Giant Logs was the heart of the original national monument, which was protected by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. The interpretive loop passes by some of the largest, most colorful petrified logs, including “Old Faithful” at the top of the trail, and nearly ten feet wide at its base.
- Trail Name: Giant Logs Trail
- Trailhead Location: Rainbow Forest Museum
- Distance: 0.5 Miles Roundtrip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: ~75 Feet
- Type: Loop
- Features: History
- Dogs: Yes – On Leash
Hiking the Giant Logs Trail
We hiked this trail on a late spring afternoon when the temperature was already in the triple digits. While this trail is technically dog-friendly, it’s probably a bad idea unless you visit in the winter.
The parking lot was pretty large, and when we arrived, it was a quarter of the way full. The lot also serves as the starting point for the Long Logs-Agate House Trail. We went into the museum first before heading out on the trail.
The trail is marked with numbered posts that correspond to the brochure. I was blown away by how abundant the petrified wood was along this trail. It was very beautiful. There were large pieces everywhere bursting with color. The red, yellow, orange, and purple are caused by iron oxides, the black and grey are caused by manganese oxides, and the white is pure quartz.
About halfway through the hike, we came to “Old Faithful,” which was named by the wife of the park’s first Superintendent. It is absolutely massive. Staring at the base, you can see what would have been part of the root system. Old Faithful is 35 feet long and estimated to weigh approximately 44 tons.
We spent a little over 30 minutes walking along the Giant Logs Trail. That said, we took our time and took plenty of photos. If you are visiting Petrified Forest National Park and only have a little bit of time, I highly recommend using that time for the Giant Logs Trail.
