Petrified Forest National Park guide · 2 min read
Rainbow Forest Museum and Giant Logs Loop
The Rainbow Forest Museum sits near the south entrance and serves as the visitor center for this part of the park.
It is a small building, but it holds paleontology exhibits on the park's fossils and geology, plus a bookstore, visitor information, limited snacks and restrooms. Inside, you can also watch Timeless Impressions, a orientation film about the park that plays continuously throughout the day.
Just behind the museum, the Giant Logs Trail is a 0.4-mile round trip with a hard surface that is partly paved and partly graveled. It is rated easy and usually takes about 30 minutes. The loop is shaped like a butterfly, and its head is Old Faithful, the most massive log in the park. That enormous log lies on its side behind the museum, and you will likely spot it by the groups of visitors posing for photos.
For a closer look at the logs, pick up the self-guided tour booklet at the museum. Numbered posts along the trail match the booklet's entries, so the walk becomes a self-guided tour that takes 30 to 60 minutes.
If you have more time, the Long Logs Trail starts near the museum. Its first half-mile is paved, but the rest of the loop has a rougher surface and narrow turns. The path meanders through a tangle of old logs at the foot of gray and purple badlands, and it passes through one of the densest collections of petrified wood in the park. Allow about one to one and a half hours for the full loop.
Agate House is reached by a half-mile one-way spur off the Long Logs Trail. The rebuilt pueblo was constructed from petrified wood. If your time is limited, the Giant Logs Trail offers a similar experience to the Long Logs Trail with much less walking.
