Arizona · National Park trail

Giant Logs Trail Stop #11

in Arizona

Stop 11: Counting Knots Can you count the knots along this long log? Every knot shows where there was once a branch. Clues like this help us imagine what the tree looked like. Lots of knots means this tree had lots of branches, which fell away as it decayed.

Tree bark also falls off dead trees. So, though the surface may look like bark, it is just the outer surface of the wood. The log’s length tells us this tree was tall. Two trees along the Long Logs Trail measure 137 and 141 feet long.

This indicates that some of the trees may have approached at least 200 feet (61 m) tall when alive. Paleontologists search for clues eroding out of the Chinle Formation badlands to capture what the Late Triassic environment once looked like. Some of the earliest remains of dinosaurs are found alongside invertebrates, freshwater fish, amphibians, synapsids, and the dominant group at the time, known as archosaurs.

States: Arizona
Trail type: National Park trail
Centroid nearest city: Flagstaff, AZ · 104 mi · ~3.0 hr drive
Centroid coords: 34.8155°, -109.8678°

About Petrified Forest National Park

National Park

This trail is inside Petrified Forest National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/giant-logs-trail-stop-11.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Giant Logs Trail Stop #11 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.