Where to Stay Near Petrified Forest: Hotels and Lodges
Petrified Forest has a surprise in store for anyone hoping to sleep inside the park: there are no hotels or lodges here. The main gateway town is Holbrook (Arizona), about 27 miles from the north entrance off I-40. That's where you'll find most of the hotels for a day visit to the park. If you have a larger budget or like historic lodging, Winslow (56 miles away) offers a different option.
Park lodges and gateway towns (0)
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Staying in the Park or Outside It?
Petrified Forest has no paid lodging inside the park, so the real question is which gateway town to choose. For an overview of your lodging options, the Where to Stay in Petrified Forest guide covers the basics.
Painted Desert Inn: Historic Hotel Turned Museum
Before looking at today's options, one clarification is in order. If you search for “Petrified Forest hotel,” Painted Desert Inn often appears in the results. It's worth a visit, but not as a place to spend the night.
Built in the 1920s as a stop for Route 66 travelers, the inn was completely renovated by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and 1940s. The Fred Harvey Company then operated it as a restaurant until 1963. Hopi painter Fred Kabotie created a series of murals there in 1948, and they are now protected. The building has been a National Historic Landmark since 1987.
Today, Painted Desert Inn is a museum and bookstore open to park visitors, with no lodging. Stop in for its Pueblo Revival architecture, murals, and views of the Painted Desert badlands, then head back to Holbrook for the night.
Where to Stay Around Petrified Forest: Gateway Towns
Holbrook: The Closest Base (27 miles)
Holbrook is the park's natural gateway town: 27 miles from the north entrance (I-40, Exit 285), around twenty properties open year-round, and some of the most affordable rates in the region.
The selection is straightforward, with mostly reliable, functional chain motels such as Best Western, Comfort Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. The local curiosity is worth a look: Wigwam Motel, a Route 66 motel whose rooms are housed in concrete wigwams built in the 1950s. It's kitschy and distinctive, and a favorite with Route 66 nostalgists.
Expect to pay between €60 and €120 per night for two people, depending on the season. Leaving Holbrook at 7 a.m. lets you start the scenic drive before the heat sets in. That's especially welcome from June through August, when temperatures regularly climb above 100°F.
Winslow: The Historic Hotel Option (56 miles)
Winslow sits about 56 miles west on I-40, roughly an hour's drive. The town is known to Eagles fans for the song “Take It Easy,” but architecture lovers know it best as the home of La Posada, a 1930s hotel designed by Mary Colter for the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railway.
Carefully restored in its original Mexican Arts and Crafts style, La Posada offers beautifully appointed rooms, a well-regarded restaurant, and gardens. It's the choice for travelers who want to pair their lodging with a genuine historic experience in the American Southwest.
The tradeoff is the 56-mile drive each way from Winslow, which adds time to every day of sightseeing. For a one-night stay focused on Petrified Forest, the logistics make less sense than they do in Holbrook.
Gallup (New Mexico): For a Road Trip East
Gallup is about 87 miles east of the park's north entrance, already in New Mexico. It has a broader hotel selection, and rates remain competitive. This base only makes sense if you're continuing east after Petrified Forest, toward northern New Mexico, Mesa Verde in Colorado, or the region's ancestral pueblos.
Flagstaff: A Base for a Multi-Park Road Trip (109 miles)
Flagstaff is about 109 miles west of the park, a drive of roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. The college town offers a much wider range of lodging, including boutique hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and major chains, along with a lively cultural scene.
Flagstaff makes sense as your main base if you're combining Petrified Forest with the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (56 miles) and Sedona (30 miles). For a trip focused only on Petrified Forest, the distance makes the logistics challenging. Our Itinerary and Trip Length guide suggests practical combinations for this kind of road trip.
How Many Nights Should You Plan?
One night in Holbrook is enough for a thorough visit to Petrified Forest. The scenic drive covers about 28 miles from north to south. Add stops at viewpoints and short trails such as Crystal Forest, Blue Mesa, and Agate House, and you've got a full day.
Two nights let you see the park from a different angle. Head out at dawn to photograph the Painted Desert at sunrise from the Tawa Point overlook, then return in the late afternoon for golden light on the petrified logs in Rainbow Forest. The visual difference between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. is significant.
When to Book and What to Pay
Low season (November through March): The park is quiet, winter light is soft, and temperatures range from cool to cold, with frequent overnight freezes and occasional snow. Holbrook hotels rarely fill up, and rates drop. Check the weather before you leave, since the scenic drive may close temporarily after a snowfall.
High season (June through August): Expect spectacular late-afternoon thunderstorms, but punishing daytime heat, with temperatures regularly above 100°F. Holbrook hotels fill quickly on weekends. Book three to four weeks ahead for July and the late-June holiday weekends.
Our favorite window is April–May and September–October. Temperatures range from 59°F to 77°F, the light is excellent, and hotel availability is comfortable. Rates remain reasonable.
For your overall trip budget, park admission costs $25 per vehicle. If you're visiting several national parks during the year, the America the Beautiful pass ($80) covers unlimited entry for 12 months. For admission fees and annual passes, the National Park Fees and Passes page explains the costs and pass options.
Our Recommendation by Travel Style
Convenience on a tight budget: Stay in Holbrook. Chain motels costing between €60 and €80 per night work well, breakfast is often included, and the 27-mile morning drive takes about twenty minutes.
A memorable experience: Choose La Posada in Winslow. The extra 56 miles are offset by the quality of this rare historic lodging. It's ideal for an overnight stop between Phoenix (or Flagstaff) and Petrified Forest.
Grand Canyon/Sedona/Petrified Forest road trip: Use Flagstaff as your central base. The Petrified Forest hub will help you plan the sequence.
Family budget: Holbrook remains the most practical choice. It has plenty of family-friendly motels, and summer prices stay below €120 for a room with two double beds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you stay inside Petrified Forest National Park?
There are no hotels or lodges inside Petrified Forest National Park. The only on-site option is camping. For hotels, the closest town is Holbrook, Arizona, about 27 miles from the north entrance.
What's the history of Painted Desert Inn?
Painted Desert Inn was built in the 1920s as a stop for Route 66 travelers, then restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and 1940s. The Fred Harvey Company operated it as a restaurant, and Hopi artist Fred Kabotie painted its murals in 1948. A National Historic Landmark since 1987, it now operates as a museum and bookstore inside the park. You can no longer spend the night there.
Is Forest Inn a five-star hotel?
There is no property called “Forest Inn” in Petrified Forest National Park. The closest hotels are in Holbrook, mostly two- to three-star properties. For upscale lodging in the region, La Posada in Winslow (about 56 miles away) is the most notable option, thanks to its historic architecture and story.