Off the Beaten Path Billings Gap Overlook Route Stop 3
in Arizona
As the route continues towards the overlook, notice the hoodoos calving from the edge of the mesa, due to scarp retreat. As the softer material that form the escarpment face beneath the caprocks erodes, leaving the harder sandstone on top undermined. The edge collapses, causing the edge to retreat, dropping talus below.
- States
- Arizona
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Flagstaff, AZ · 109 mi · ~3.2 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 34.9375°, -109.7485°
About Petrified Forest 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/otbp-billings-gap-overlook-3.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm
Plan your hike
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 Off the Beaten Path Billings Gap Overlook Route Stop 3 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Off the Beaten Path Billings Gap Overlook Route Stop 5
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Off the Beaten Path Billings Gap Overlook Route Stop 4
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Blue Mesa Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Crystal Forest Trail
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Tawa Trail
10 miles from this trail's centroid
Off the Beaten Path Onyx Bridge Route Stop 1
10 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.