Your Guide to Eloping in Petrified Forest, Arizona
If you love the Southwestern desert but want something truly unique and more off the beaten path than Sedona or the Grand Canyon, consider eloping in Petrified Forest National Park.
Tucked in the northeastern corner of Arizona, Petrified Forest is an ancient and colorful otherworldly landscape. The environment is undoubtedly harsh, which is exactly what makes it so romantic. Its many surprises, ranging from wildlife encounters to ancient ruins and incredibly colorful sunsets, will wow you and make you fall head-over-heels in love with the area (and hopefully, even more in love with your partner!).
Whether you’re curious about what it might be like to elope in Petrified Forest National Park or you’ve already decided but still have some planning to do, you’re in the right place. In this guide, I cover everything you need to know about eloping here, from what to do and the best time of year to the most scenic spots and where to stay. Let’s dive in!
About Petrified Forest National Park
As I mentioned, Petrified Forest is full of surprises. For example, the “forest” is not at all what most people think of when they hear that word. There are trees, but they’re not leafy or even standing, for that matter. Keep reading for some fascinating Petrified Forest Arizona facts that highlight what you should expect (and what you shouldn’t!).
Where is the Petrified Forest in Arizona?
Petrified Forest National Park is in extreme northeastern Arizona, located right along I-40 about 50 miles from the New Mexico border. It’s equidistant from the Grand Canyon and Albuquerque, New Mexico, about 3 hours from each. Phoenix is about 3.5 hours away, Tucson 5 hours, and Flagstaff just under 2.
How old is the Petrified Forest in Arizona?
The Petrified Forest is between 208 and 225 million years old. It’s hard to even wrap one’s mind around…that’s older than many dinosaurs!
What caused the Petrified Forest in Arizona?
It’s hard to believe, but the land surrounding the Petrified Forest was lush hundreds of millions of years ago, with quite a bit of water. When Pangaea began to shift, many of the area’s mature trees fell or were uprooted in floods. As the tectonic plates (now continents) continued to move and form, bodies of water also shifted, and mineral-rich rivers completely covered the trees. Being underwater for long periods of time preserved the trees and ultimately petrified, or fossilized, them.
Over time, many of the logs were buried deep under Earth’s layers. Centuries and many earthquakes and other tectonic incidents later, the trees eventually re-surfaced, now laden with colorful crystals like quartz and iron. While they still look like trees with age rings and all, they’re vibrant and rainbow-colored, plus they’re no longer living.
What is the Petrified Forest in Arizona?
The Petrified Forest is a large area protecting and preserving the world’s largest concentration of petrified wood and Triassic-age rocks. There are also countless fossils here, and paleontologists and other scientists discover more every day!
Look carefully at pictures of Petrified Forest National Park Arizona…do you see the petroglyphs?
Where to elope in Petrified Forest National Park
Depending on the type of scenery you envision for your dream Petrified Forest National Park elopement, there are several options. Anywhere you choose, the colorful desert and Mars-like formations will serve as the perfect dramatic backdrop!
Painted Desert Rim
The Teepees
Blue Mesa
Crystal Forest
How to elope in Petrified Forest National Park
Like most national parks, eloping in Petrified Forest requires a Special Use Permit and some advance planning. When you’re ready to fill out the permit form, you’ll be asked to provide some detailed information including the areas of the park you intend to use and any “support equipment” (i.e.; decorations, chairs, sound, etc.) you plan to bring.
Keep in mind that the vast majority of national parks, including Petrified Forest, prohibit bringing in real flowers or other plants. This is in line with crucial Leave No Trace principles, a concerted effort to be good stewards of the environment and leave it better than we found it.
Side note: if you need suggestions on artificial bouquets or other flowers, like arches, I wrote a whole blog post about it! There are some surprisingly real-looking wood and silk options out there!
Once you fill out the Petrified Forest Special Use Permit, submit it, along with a $115 non-refundable processing fee. You can mail in the application with a check or money order, or submit it electronically and pay via pay.gov or over the phone. To do this, contact the park office at 928-524-6228, extension 226.
The park website doesn’t specify a timeline for submitting your permit, but I highly recommend getting it in as early as possible. You can submit it up to one year in advance, and it’s a good idea to allow plenty of time in case of processing delays or if for any reason there’s an issue with your chosen date or location.
Note that you and any guests will ALSO need to pay the park entrance fee (or have an America the Beautiful annual national parks pass).
Arizona elopement laws
In addition to the requirements for eloping in Petrified Forest National Park, you also need to follow all Arizona marriage rules and regulations. Luckily, it’s one of the easier states to get married in!
For more details on how to elope in Arizona, read the guide below!
Petrified Forest Elopement Packages
All Petrified Forest elopement packages include my travel (note, I never tack on hidden or extra fees for travel anywhere in the United States!), customized location scouting and research, permit assistance, personalized vendor recommendations, unique-to-you + your location activity suggestions, and a customized elopement timeline for your one of a kind day.
Every elopement gallery also includes high-resolution digital images with printing rights and a private online gallery to view, print, download, and share your gallery with your family + friends to relive the day with you!
4 Hour ~ $3,000
Perfect for couples who want to take a more simplistic approach to their elopement day. Typically this package is ideal for capturing getting ready, a close ceremony location with a short hike, and couples portraits.
8 Hour ~ $5,000
Perfect for couples wanting a day of adventure like a long hike, off-roading, or traveling to multiple locations. This package is best for telling the complete story of your elopement day. Typically couples who elope just the two of them select this package to document their day for the friends + family not in attendance to have the opportunity to experience the day. Also ideal for couples bringing guests who would like to have their reception captured. Your reception could look like pizza at your airbnb around a fire with your parents + siblings or a private chef serving you a 3 course meal on a table decorated in florals.
12 Hour ~ $7,000
Perfect for couples looking for complete coverage of their elopement story. This package offers the ultimate storytelling experience. From waking up and having coffee with your partner to roasting marshmallows on a fire after dusk. Couples who elope just the two of them select this package to document their day for the friends + family who are not in attendance to have the opportunity to experience their day. Also ideal for couples bringing friends + family and would like to have their full day with their guests documented.
Multi-Day ~ $9,000
Perfect for couples wanting a multi-day experience with a LOT of adventure. This package is best if you want to elope in one epic location and also experience another the following day. An example of this would be eloping in Petrified Forest National Park and the following day, visiting Sunset Crater National Monument or Canyon De Chelly National Monument.
Petrified Forest National Park Weather
In a Southwestern climate classified as both high desert and semi-arid grassland, Petrified Forest experiences weather extremes — sometimes in a short timeframe. The two truly consistent things are heat and dryness, so I strongly recommend against planning your elopement in the summer.
Here’s a closer look at average weather in Petrified Forest National Park Arizona:
Winter - Considered the rainy season, although that’s extremely relative. The area receives an average of less than 10” of annual precipitation, and the vast majority of that falls between November and March. For comparison, the US average is just over 30” of annual precipitation! Expect daytime temperatures in the 40s and 50s, and freezing temps in the 20s overnight. Especially if you luck out and snow has just fallen, this is a wonderful time to elope in Petrified Forest!
Spring - Spring is a wonderful season in this part of Arizona, when temperatures hover in the 70s and 80s during the day, and there never seems to be a cloud in sight. It also rarely dips below freezing overnight in the spring. The “wet” winter brings colorful desert wildflowers throughout April and May, making it a perfect time to visit before the summer heat (and monsoons!) start up.
Summer - Aside from scorching temperatures well above 100 degrees, summer brings monsoons — volatile, sudden thunderstorms and lots of wind — to the Arizona desert. In July and August, it often storms every day, even if just for a few minutes. The storms involve mostly dust, thunder, lightning, and wind. After heavy rainfall, flash flooding becomes a concern, particularly near canyons. The flip side is that summer is Milky Way season, so if you’re hoping for epic nighttime elopement shots, that’s something to consider. Nighttime temps are also mercifully cool, dipping into the 60s.
Fall - Fall is the least dramatic season in Petrified Forest, with little precipitation and day-to-day temperature variance. Throughout the season, the cool-down happens quickly, with September averaging in the 70s and 80s during the day, and November averaging in the 50s. There’s no fall color to be seen, but fall does bring incredible sunsets to the desert.
What to do in Petrified Forest National Park
There are a couple of things to know about Petrified Forest. It’s a small park, so you can see everything in one full day or a leisurely two days. That gives you time to explore many of Arizona’s other iconic natural attractions, like the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend, or Antelope Canyon, all within a 3.5-hour drive!
Also, the park is divided into two sections, north and south. The Painted Desert comprises the northern half, while most of the petrified wood is in the southern half. There are entrance gates in both sections, but the main Petrified Forest National Park visitors center is in the northern area.
Drive scenic Petrified Forest Road - The park road spans 28 miles between the north and south entrances, and you can drive it in either direction. Allow 1.5-2 hours for the entire thing, including stops.
Hiking - This is one of the best ways to experience the park’s mind-blowing scenery and best of all, most of the trails are fairly short and easy. I highly recommend the 1-mile Blue Mesa loop and the slightly longer 3-mile Blue Forest Trail through colorful badlands.
Backpacking - Petrified Forest is incredibly unique in that the park doesn’t have any frontcountry campgrounds. That means in order to camp here, you’ll have to backpack it. There are also no designated trails in the park’s backcountry, so backpacking here is recommended only for those with experience.
Bicycling - Experiencing the colorful badlands on two wheels is an incredible experience! There are no in-park bicycle rentals, but if you have your own, you can explore on all park roads and some designated areas, including old Route 66.
Guided Tours - Between park rangers and the Petrified Forest Field Institute, you can take advantage of several guided activities. These include night sky events, backcountry hikes, fossil digs, and overnight camping.
Museum Demonstration Lab - A truly unique experience to add to your Petrified Forest itinerary, real-life paleontologists work in the Museum Demonstration Lab. They work on fossils and other relics in the lab, which welcomes visitors from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Wednesday-Sunday.
See the Old Studebaker on Route 66 - Make a quick photo stop at this must-see site along the original Route 66.
See Native American Petroglyphs - There are petroglyphs throughout the park, but one of the best sites is Newspaper Rock, dating back between 650 and 2,000 years ago.
Drive through the TePees - This section of the park is especially unique, defined by colorful, striped badlands formations. It’s hard to believe you’re in Arizona here, and you’ll want to stop for photos several times!
Check out 225 million-year-old petrified wood - One of the best things to do in Petrified Forest National Park! Check out the easy 0.8-mile Crystal Forest trail to get up-close and personal to petrified logs and the 0.4-mile Giant Logs Trail to see an absolutely massive petrified log (a great photo op!). If you want something a bit longer, head out on the 1.6-mile Long Logs Loop for the longest petrified trees in the park.
Where to stay when visiting Petrified Forest National Park
To be totally honest, this entire section of the state is remote, so hotels near Petrified Forest Arizona are slim pickins. However, the great news is that the options that are available, are pretty unique.
Camp out and take advantage of some of the best stargazing in the entire world, rent a fun themed Arizona Airbnb in the area, or check out some of the more traditional hotels in nearby Winslow. Here’s a roundup of all my personal favorite options!
Petrified Forest camping
Backcountry Camping
Crystal Forest Gift Shop & Campground
Holbrook-Petrified Forest KOA
Rainbow Ranch
Desert Skies
Best Airbnbs near Petrified Forest
Ready to Plan Your Petrified Forest National Park Elopement?
Wherever you are in your elopement planning process, I’d absolutely love to chat with you! I live in Arizona and love exploring our unique desert landscapes, so we can talk through any questions or concerns you may have. Congratulations, and I can’t wait to connect with you soon!