Petrified Forest State Park with Kids: Escalante, Utah

KID RATINGS

Fun: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
Difficulty:     Very Easy    Easy   Moderate    Hard    Very Hard                                                                 (Ranges from Very Easy to Moderate depending on what you are doing)

KEY FEATURES

Hiking Distance: 0.1 to 3 miles
Hiking Elevation Gain: Flat to steep, depending on the hike
Terrain: Sand, rocks, petrified wood, reservoir
Time Needed: An hour to few days
When to Go: spring, summer, fall 

COST

$6 Day use fee

$20 – $28/Night if camping

AMENITIES

• Flush toilets

• Showers

• Camping

• Water

• Reservoir for swimming/boating/kayaking/fishing

• Picnic tables

• Paddle boards/kayaks for rent 

• Town of Escalante minutes away with gas stations and small grocery stores. 

THINGS TO BRING

• Camping gear if camping

• Water/sand toys

• Paddle boards/kayaks if you own them

• Life jackets

• Good hiking shoes/gear

• Dogs allowed

DETAILS

Visiting Petrified Forest State Park with kids is a great way to learn about geology and have some fun at the same time. It is also a perfect base camp for visiting Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. You can stop here for a few hours to explore the petrified wood or cool off in the reservoir or stay several days. We stayed three nights and wished we had a few more days to spend.

The town of Escalante is located just a few miles from Petrified Forest State Park. Within the town of Escalante there are visitor’s centers and historical sites as well as access to gas stations and small grocery stores. It was nice to be near some civilization, we were able to grab some eggs for breakfast we had forgotten and slushies to help us cool off.

Petrified Forest State Park is definitely somewhere we will stay again. We loved that we were near the many outdoor adventures of Grand Staircase Escalante Monument. There are endless outdoor adventures in this 1 million acre protected area. We were able to explore the Spooky and Peak-a-boo slot canyons within the monument during our stay. These slot canyons were absolutely incredible and such a surreal experience. 

Things to Do

Petrified Wood Viewing

Petrified wood can be found in a viewing area near the nature trail trailhead. An entire tree is displayed as well as several pieces. This area is great for any age and is ADA accessible. There is also a large petrified tree near the main bathrooms. You can also hike the Nature Trail and the Trail of Sleeping Rainbows to see more.  

Water Recreation

Wide Hollow Reservoir is located within Petrified Forest and is a refreshing place to escape the southern Utah heat. It is nestled along the layers of red and white rock providing a one of a kind scenic backdrop.

The beach area of the reservoir is located across the reservoir from the entrance and the campground. We drove to the beach from the campground because it is probably about a half mile walk.

We had so much fun playing in the sand, swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding. We own paddle boards and kayaks, but there are also rentals if you don’t have your own at Float Werks Rental located just outside the park. The views while paddle boarding and kayaking were absolutely stunning. I definitely recommend doing this if you have time.

There is a dock and boat launch located right next to the camping area near the entrance of the park. We had fun dock jumping for the first time. There were several boaters while we were there water skiing.

Hiking

Petrified Forest Nature Trail is a 2 mile trail that leads to several deposits of petrified wood. The trailhead is located next the main parking lot just after the park entrance. This trail is a steep upward climb for the first quarter mile.

Off the Nature Trail there is an additional ¾ mile loop called Trail of Sleeping Rainbows. This trail descends into a steep ravine and then back up to connect into the Petrified Forest Trail. The ravine area has the best and most petrified wood deposits in the park. Definitely worth the steep decline and ascent.

Camping

There is a small 20 site campground located within Petrified Forest State Park. We stayed three nights and had plenty to do within the park as well as in the surrounding Escalante National Monument. This is a place we will stay in again. We loved the beautiful red rock backdrop and lake scenery. 

Most of the camping spots have shade provided by a nearby tree or a built in shade structure. We stayed in campsite number W108. The scenery was beautiful at this site but the tent area wasn’t big enough for our tent so we had to set up our tent on part of the parking spot. The restrooms were well kept and warm showers were available.

The campground at Petrified Forest State Park books on a 4 month rolling basis. I recommend planning ahead and booking 4 months in advance if you are able. The campground fills up quickly in the late spring and early summer. 

Grand Staircase Escalante Monument

There are endless adventures in this more than one million acre national monument. While staying at the Petrified Forest State Park we explored the Peak-a-boo and Spooky Slot Canyons. These were absolutely incredible. There are dinosaur tracks, waterfalls, and other hikes and slot canyons nearby.

Hisotrical Sites

There are several historical sites and points of interest within the city of Esclante including the Escalante Heritage Center and the Escalante Interagency Vistor’s Center.

PROS & CONS

PROS

• Water activities nearby to help escape summer heat

• Central location to explore Grand Staircase Escalante Monument

• Shade structures available

• Water rentals available

• Beautiful scenery

• Petrified wood viewing

CONS

• Hot in summer for hiking – start early morning or go in evening

• Campground is small and fills quickly

DIRECTIONS

Utah’s Petrified Forest State Park is located off of scenic highway 12 just a couple miles northwest of the town of Esclante, UT. Put Petrified Forest State Park, UT in your GPS device to get to the right location.

MAPS 

MORE INFO

 Petrified Forest State Park official page 

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument 

OTHER NEARBY ADVENTURE

 Upper Calf Creek Falls (30 mins)

Devils Garden (30 mins)

Kodachrome State Park (50 mins)

Twenty Mile Dinosaur Trackway (50 mins)

Peek-a-boo and Spooky Slot Canyons (1 hour)

Bryce Canyon National Park (1 hour)

Willis Creek Slot Canyon (1 hour)

Anasazi State Park Museum (1 hour)

Capital Reef National Park (90 minutes)