Theodore Roosevelt National Park · North Dakota

Petrified Forest Loop Trail

3.3 mi of trail, end to end · Hike the Petrified Forest: 10.4 mi loop in the Service's write-up · about 450 ft of climbing · 2,385 ft–2,732 ft

2,662 ft 2,694 ft · 1.9 mi high 2,698 ft

Trailhead Petrified Forest Trailhead 2,556 ft Drive there

Hike the Petrified Forest 10.4 mi loop · the Park Service's write-up

2-10 Hours · no dogs · season Weather conditions may cause unstable or slippery conditions. Check with a ranger for current conditions.

Start Petrified Forest Trail

A large petrified stump is central to the image, with others and large buttes visible behind it.
The petrified forest in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Photo: NPS Photo

Petrified Forest Trailhead Access Update: Use Approved Route

Directions to the Petrified Forest trailhead have changed. Please use the approved legal route from I-94, Exit 10 toward Camels Hump Lake and follow the clearly marked posts. This update helps maintain good cooperation with neighbors and respect park boundaries.

Take Exit 10 towards Camels Hump Lake

Turn right and continue on CR -11

Take an immediate right and travel for 3.7 miles

Turn right onto 30th St SW and travel for 3.5 miles

Turn left onto Wannagan Creek Rd at Durham Ranch (Watch for Children sign present) and travel for 3.2 miles

Turn right onto 730 (no sign present) and travel for 4.4 miles

Turn left and travel 1 mile to the Petrified Forest trailhead

The trail starts at the lift gate behind the trailhead sign

From Medora, the drive to the Petrified Forest is approximately 50 minutes on dirt and gravel roads. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is home to the third highest concentration of petrified wood in the United States. These geological wonders give context to the park's past, allowing hikers to travel back to a time when, instead of buttes and prairies, the landscape was dominated by massive trees and shallow swamps.

The trail travels up out of the badlands onto a wide prairie where it splits, each section then dropping down into a valley containing the petrified stumps. Both sections of petrified wood are approximately 1.5 miles from the parking area.

Hikers can continue past the petrified wood to complete the 10.4 mile loop or access other trails in the park. Additional water and supplies are recommended for this longer hike.

It is illegal to remove any resource from a national park. Leave any fossil, stone, or other object where you find it so that other visitors can enjoy it as well.

Accessibility The Petrified Forest Trail is a remote, unpaved backcountry trail which includes steep slopes, uneven footing, and potentially unstable ground. Proper footwear is recommended. Service animals are allowed, but must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 34 trails in Theodore Roosevelt 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.