Sedona to Petrified Forest tour with private guide and lunch

Crystal trees, petroglyphs, and badlands that look like another planet

A private full-day tour from Sedona to Petrified Forest National Park with a local guide, covering Oak Creek Canyon, a Route 66 lunch stop, and four hours exploring the park's geology and Hopi and Navajo history. Walk among 216 million-year-old petrified wood, see 2,000-year-old petroglyphs, and hike the Blue Mesa badlands loop where the landscape shifts between deep red ridges and exposed rainbow-colored strata.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Oak Creek Canyonpassing by
2. Petrified Forest National Park3h

Sedona to Petrified Forest Adventure

• Pick up from Sedona area
• Enjoy scenic drive and discuss geology
• Stop for lunch along Route 66
• Explore Petrified Forest National Park
• Walk amongst crystal trees
• Observe petrified wood oddities
• Hike Blue Mesa badlands loop
• View San Francisco peaks and Hopi Mesas
• Return to place of origin

The experience

You're picked up anywhere in the Sedona area or along the way on Highway 89A or I-40, and the drive itself becomes part of the tour. Your guide, a local owner-operator, talks through the geology and history as you travel through Oak Creek Canyon, then stops for lunch along Route 66 in Holbrook before heading into the park. This isn't a rushed itinerary: you spend four hours inside Petrified Forest National Park hitting most of the major sites, which means time to actually walk and absorb rather than snap photos from a pullout.

The park's centerpiece is the Painted Desert, where the Chinle Formation (exposed strata of deep reds, purples, and blues) stretches across badlands that genuinely look otherworldly. You walk among 216 million-year-old crystal trees, examine 2,000-year-old petroglyphs left by ancestral Hopi and Navajo peoples, and hike the Blue Mesa loop, a one-mile trail that winds through the heart of the badlands. Your guide explains the competing theories about how the wood petrified and points out the oddities in how the ancient forest is still exposing itself. On clear days, the viewpoint near the end opens up over 100 miles of distance: San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, the ancient Hopi Mesas, and an endless field of red ridges.

Bottled water and parking fees are covered. You pay for your own lunch stop along the way. The full day runs eleven hours door-to-door, so plan for an early start and a late return to Sedona.

What’s included

• Bottled water and parking fees are covered.
• your guide is a local owner-operator who speaks English and picks you up from your Sedona location or anywhere along Highway 89A or I-40.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (1 to 12 years)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 50 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Moderate physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomeNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Dynamic Journey Tours

Is this one for you?This is a private tour, so the pace and stops are yours alone: ideal if you want to linger at a viewpoint or ask detailed questions about the geology and history without waiting for a group to catch up. The eleven-hour commitment means a full day, so plan this for a day when you don't have evening plans in Sedona.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (1 to 12 years).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is the Painted Desert, and why does it look so different from the rest of Arizona?

The Painted Desert is a vast expanse of badlands where the Chinle Formation, layers of ancient sediment, are exposed and eroded into ridges and gullies. The different mineral content in each layer creates the striped effect of deep reds, purples, blues, and yellows. This formation is only exposed in this region of Arizona, which is why the landscape looks so distinct.

How old are the petrified trees, and how did they actually turn to stone?

The petrified wood is 216 million years old, dating back to the Triassic period. Your guide covers the main theories during the tour: trees were buried by volcanic ash and sediment, and over millions of years, silica-rich water seeped through the wood, replacing the organic material with quartz and other minerals, essentially turning the wood into crystal.

Is the Blue Mesa hike difficult, and how long does it take?

The Blue Mesa loop is a one-mile walk through the heart of the badlands. It's moderate in difficulty and takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes depending on pace and how long you spend at viewpoints. You're walking on established trails through the landscape, not scrambling or climbing.

What's included in the tour price, and what do I need to pay for separately?

Bottled water and all parking fees are included. You stop for lunch along Route 66 in Holbrook, and you pay for your own meal there. Gratuities are not included.