Petrified Forest National Park · Arizona

Rim Trail

0.5 mi of trail, end to end · Walk the Painted Desert Rim Trail: 1 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · 30 ft of descent · 5,822 ft–5,853 ft · native surface

5,853 ft 5,830 ft · 0.5 mi high 5,853 ft

Trailheads PD Rim Trail 5,825 ft Drive there · PD Rim Trail 5,853 ft Drive there

Walk the Painted Desert Rim Trail 1 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

20-120 Minutes · dogs allowed

Woman stopped next to a wayside exhibit looking towards red badlands in the background
Walking the Rim Trail Photo: NPS Photo/Stuart Holmes

This unpaved trail winds 1-mile round trip through the rim woodland, a place for chance encounters of many species of plants and animals and spectacular views of the Painted Desert. In spring, cliffroses and other native wildflowers grow along the pathway. Birds find food and shelter in this area making it a good spot for birdwatching. Below, the view features red badlands and crenulated white tuff.

Accessibility Tread width: 62 in (158.6 cm), min 60 in (152.4 cm) Grade: 6.3%, max 25.6% Cross Slope: 3.8%, max 16.2%T his trail does not have stairs, but the waterbars and dirt-gravel surface may make this trail unsuitable for strollers or mobility devices.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

Other trails from the same trailheads

All 8 trails in Petrified Forest National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.