Hiking the Beautiful Long Logs and Agate House Trail

On our first visit to Petrified Forest National Park, we didn’t have enough time to hike the Long Logs and Agate House Loop Trail. So, on the second time back, this trail was first on our to-do list. Lucky for us, our visit was right after a big snowfall at the park. Therefore, Long Logs and Agate House Loop Trail was extra spectacular. Since most tourists don’t really visit this trail anyways, with the snowfall, we ended up having the whole place to ourselves. It was amazing to see the colorful petrified woods dotted against the white landscapes while enjoying the stillness surrounding us.

Note: It is illegal to remove petrified woods or any other materials from the park. Please do not collect or take home pieces of the wood from the National Park. Please make sure to respect this beautiful place and the surrounding areas. Always practice LEAVE NO TRACE. This means no loud music, no graffiti, no carving your name anywhere and pack out what you pack in! Please help us protect this place for generations to come!

Stats

Where

Long Logs and Agate House Trailhead
34°48’52.5″N 109°51’41.9″W

Parking

Decent size lot at the Rainbow Forest Museum

Restroom

There is restrooms inside Rainbow Forest Museum

Fee

There is a fee to enter the Petrified Forest National Park. Please check the park’s website for updated infos. You can also use your America the Beautiful Pass here.

Important Things

Petrified Forest National Park opens year round, except November 25 and December 25. Park hours are 8am to 5pm. The gate actually closes at 5pm.

Distance

Total: 2.6 mi loop
Long logs access trail: 0.5 miles to abandoned parking lot (APL)
From APL to Agate House: 0.5 miles to agate house.
From APL, the Long Logs loop is 0.6 miles.

Elevation Gain

About 98 ft

Level

Easy

Time:

1-2 hours

Pet-friendly

You can bring your pet, but they have to be on leashed.

Ideal Time

Falls, Winters or Springs. Summer can be very warm. Petrified woods is also more colorful on a sunny day.

Weather

Video

Getting There

Long Logs and Agate House Trail is located near the south entrance for Petrified Forest National Park. It is near the parking lot for the Rainbow Forest Museum and Visitor Center. This trail is a quick 0.2 miles walk to the trailhead. After parking at the lot for Rainbow Forest Museum, head away from the museum toward a small bridge over Jim Camp Wash. There is a small sign at the parking lot pointing the way. Once crossing over the bridge, you should see a small path to the right, leading toward a short concrete fence with an information sign for Long Logs and Agate House trail.

While can be done separately, Long Logs and Agate House is better combined together. Agate House is about 2 miles out and back while Long Logs is about a 1.6 miles loop. However, together, this trail is 2.6 miles. This way, you can see all the good stuff from both trails with less effort.

Long Logs Access Trail

We started the trail on a paved road. The first 0.5 miles of this trail is paved. This part of the trail is marked as the Long Logs Access trail on the map. Apparently, this used to be a road since you still can see the road marking. Even though there are some petrified woods scattered about, this first part of the trail is quite uneventful. It was beautiful when we went because of the snow, but it could be a bit drab during other times of the year. This trail is also fully exposed so it can be very warm depending on the season.

About 0.5 miles, the trail leads to a roundabout that looks like it used to be a parking lot. From here, keep right where you’ll come up to a small path on the right. If you stay on this trail all the way, this will lead you to Agate House. If you prefer to start Long Logs first, go left toward the second path.

Agate House Trail

Since Dustin really wanted to see the Agate House, we went to that first. We followed the path on the right toward the vast open space. There are big chunks of petrified woods scattered on both sides of the trail. As we crested over the small hill, we could see the Agate House in the distance. Even though the majority of the trail is paved, it is not in super good condition. The trail’s surface can get rough. Also, with the snow, part of it got icy and part became mushy, especially when we got closer to the Agate House.

Agate House

Agate House is definitely an interesting structure. It was built by the Ancestral Puebloan. They usually used petrified wood to make tools and also as building materials. This agate house is believed to be built and occupied between 1050 and 1300. Archeologists believe that this 8-room pueblo was likely a year-round home for a single-family, instead of temporary residences or field houses. Even though Agate House is now stand-alone, it was likely part of a larger community. The Agate House that we see here is actually a reconstruction of the original structure.

It was amazing to see how the house was built. Medium to large pieces of petrified wood are held in place by mud mortar. Consider how heavy each piece of these woods is, that’s a lot of work. Petrified woods are quite heavy. They weigh about 160-200 pounds per cubic foot. However, they sure make beautiful walls. Nothing is like a colorful, gem-like wall.

Long Logs Trail

After we spent time admiring the Agate House, Dustin and I headed back toward the Long Logs Loop. About ⅔ of the way back, there is a trail junction that leads you toward the loop for Long Logs. There is a sign there, pointing the way.

The loop for Long Logs has a lot more uneven surfaces than Agate House. Even though it was partially paved, most of the concrete cracked or disappeared altogether. That being said, this part of the Long Logs and Agate House Trail is really beautiful. The smaller chunk of petrified woods became a lot bigger. In fact, the two trees on this trail measure 137 and 141 ft long. This means that some of the trees could have been at least 200ft tall when alive.

Long Logs is also one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the park due to the fact that it was an ancient log jam. You can see the evidence of this as you walk along the trail. Many of the long logs pile across one another. They were buried quickly and deeply enough to deprive them of oxygen by volcano ashes and other materials. Over millions of years, silica and minerals seeped into the tree trunks and replaced most of the organic wood. This eventually petrified the trees and turned them into what they are now.

As the trail loops around, it also leads toward the breathtaking views of the purple-ish/blue Chinle formations. They look especially beautiful covered in snow. This area is a great glimpse into what Blue Mesa looks like. Once we completed the loop to the roundabout, we headed the same way we came from.

Long Logs and Agate House Loop Trail is one of our favorite trails at Petrified Forest National Park. It is just long enough to consider a hike, yet not too difficult. You also get to see all the cool things about this park, historic Agate house, colorful petrified woods, some of the longest ones, and a glimpse of the badland’s purple-ish/blue hills. We also love how remote and peaceful it is. It is a must-do if you’re visiting Petrified Forest National Park. For an easier walk to see the petrified wood, check out Crystal Forest.

These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

adventure gear

Good hiking shoes are recommended on these adventures. Vy uses the Merrell Women’s Moab 2 hiking boots

Dustin’s shoes are Targhee III Waterproof

Make sure to use lots of sunscreens! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30.

Face sunscreen is also important. We love these tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.

You should always bring plenty of water. Vy loves the Camelback L.U.X.E.

For shorter hikes, the Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is perfect to hold water and your essentials.

This place can get cold in the winters and springs. We love our packable Patagonia Puff Jackets! You can get Vy’s version here, and Dustin’s version here.