Best time to visit Petrified Forest National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Petrified Forest National Park: April–May and September–October. Daily highs run about 70–80°F, with about 75% of June's visitors.
Hardest months: December–January and July, mostly because of cold weather.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, then reduced by up to 30% for crowds, measured against the park's busiest month. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Petrified Forest National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 6 locations. Crowds compare each month with the park's busiest month: Quiet is under 35% of it, Moderate under 60%, Busy under 85%, Peak above that.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Crowds | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor | 45° / 24°F | 0.6 in | 2.8 in | Quiet | – |
| February | Fair | 52° / 28°F | 0.4 in | 2.9 in | Quiet | – |
| March | Good | 60° / 35°F | 0.6 in | 1.6 in | Busy | – |
| April | Best | 69° / 41°F | 0.4 in | – | Busy | – |
| May | Best | 77° / 50°F | 0.3 in | – | Peak | – |
| June | Fair | 89° / 61°F | 0.2 in | – | Peak | – |
| July | Poor | 90° / 67°F | 0.9 in | – | Busy | – |
| August | Fair | 88° / 64°F | 0.6 in | – | Busy | – |
| September | Best | 82° / 57°F | 0.7 in | – | Busy | – |
| October | Best | 70° / 45°F | 0.6 in | – | Busy | – |
| November | Good | 58° / 33°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in | Moderate | – |
| December | Poor | 47° / 26°F | 0.7 in | 2.3 in | Moderate | – |
Weather by location
Parks with a big range of elevation can differ a lot from one area to another. Open a location to see its own numbers.
Park-wide (center of the park)
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 24°F | 0.6 in | 2.6 in |
| February | 53°F | 28°F | 0.3 in | 2.8 in |
| March | 61°F | 35°F | 0.7 in | 1.8 in |
| April | 70°F | 42°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 78°F | 50°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 90°F | 62°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 91°F | 67°F | 0.8 in | – |
| August | 89°F | 65°F | 0.6 in | – |
| September | 83°F | 58°F | 0.7 in | – |
| October | 71°F | 45°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 34°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 47°F | 27°F | 0.7 in | 2.3 in |
Rainbow Forest
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 24°F | 0.6 in | 2.7 in |
| February | 52°F | 28°F | 0.3 in | 2.9 in |
| March | 60°F | 35°F | 0.6 in | 1.3 in |
| April | 69°F | 42°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 77°F | 49°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 90°F | 61°F | 0.1 in | – |
| July | 90°F | 67°F | 1.0 in | – |
| August | 88°F | 64°F | 0.7 in | – |
| September | 82°F | 57°F | 0.8 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 45°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 33°F | 0.5 in | 1.2 in |
| December | 47°F | 26°F | 0.7 in | 2.2 in |
Crystal Forest
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 24°F | 0.6 in | 2.9 in |
| February | 52°F | 28°F | 0.3 in | 3.0 in |
| March | 60°F | 35°F | 0.6 in | 1.4 in |
| April | 69°F | 42°F | 0.3 in | – |
| May | 77°F | 49°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 89°F | 61°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 90°F | 67°F | 0.8 in | – |
| August | 88°F | 64°F | 0.7 in | – |
| September | 82°F | 57°F | 0.8 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 45°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 33°F | 0.5 in | 1.2 in |
| December | 47°F | 27°F | 0.6 in | 2.4 in |
Painted Desert
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F | 23°F | 0.6 in | 2.9 in |
| February | 51°F | 27°F | 0.4 in | 3.0 in |
| March | 59°F | 33°F | 0.6 in | 1.5 in |
| April | 68°F | 40°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 76°F | 49°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 88°F | 60°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 89°F | 66°F | 0.9 in | – |
| August | 87°F | 63°F | 0.6 in | – |
| September | 81°F | 56°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 69°F | 44°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 57°F | 32°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 46°F | 26°F | 0.7 in | 2.5 in |
Blue Mesa
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 24°F | 0.6 in | 2.9 in |
| February | 52°F | 29°F | 0.4 in | 3.0 in |
| March | 60°F | 35°F | 0.7 in | 1.7 in |
| April | 69°F | 42°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 77°F | 50°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 89°F | 62°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 90°F | 67°F | 0.8 in | – |
| August | 88°F | 64°F | 0.6 in | – |
| September | 82°F | 58°F | 0.7 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 45°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 34°F | 0.6 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 47°F | 27°F | 0.7 in | 2.2 in |
Puerco Pueblo
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 24°F | 0.6 in | 2.6 in |
| February | 53°F | 28°F | 0.3 in | 2.8 in |
| March | 61°F | 35°F | 0.7 in | 1.8 in |
| April | 70°F | 42°F | 0.4 in | – |
| May | 78°F | 50°F | 0.3 in | – |
| June | 90°F | 62°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 91°F | 67°F | 0.8 in | – |
| August | 89°F | 65°F | 0.6 in | – |
| September | 83°F | 58°F | 0.7 in | – |
| October | 71°F | 45°F | 0.6 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 34°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 47°F | 27°F | 0.7 in | 2.3 in |
Petrified Forest National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a good time to visit Petrified Forest National Park. Daily highs average 60–77°F and lows 35–50°F. Expect about 0.4 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 67–90% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a mixed time to visit Petrified Forest National Park. Daily highs average 88–90°F and lows 61–67°F. Expect about 0.6 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 65–100% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a good time to visit Petrified Forest National Park. Daily highs average 58–82°F and lows 33–57°F. Expect about 0.6 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 46–81% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a difficult time to visit Petrified Forest National Park. Daily highs average 45–52°F and lows 24–28°F. Expect about 0.5 in of rain a month and 2.7 in of snow, with up to 0 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 34–42% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours, trails and things to do, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
Petrified Forest National Park is a semi-arid grassland. Temperatures range from above 100° F (38° C) to well below freezing. About 10 inches (25.4 cm) of moisture comes during infrequent snow in the winter and often dramatic summer thunder-storms. Animals and plants are adapted to extremes in temperature and moisture. You should be ready too. Check out the forecast before you arrive and plan accordingly.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 6 locations. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: monthly recreation visits for 2021-2024, National Park Service.
