Reading Newspaper Rock in Petrified Forest National Park

Just off the main park road in Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona lies one of the park’s most captivating and often overlooked features: Newspaper Rock. It offers an extraordinary look into the past, featuring more than 650 petroglyphs etched into the desert-varnish-covered boulders.

Newspaper Rock: Ancient Stories in Stone

We pulled into the mostly empty parking lot on a spring afternoon. It was already 100 degrees outside, and we were drenched from hiking in the southern portion of the park.  

There is a short paved walkway to an overlook. From the overlook, if you look down, you see boulders covered in petroglyphs that served as a prehistoric bulletin board for hundreds of years.  

The petroglyphs were carved by the ancestral Puebloan people between 650 and 2,000 years ago. Many of whom were living, farming, and hunting along the Puerco River for centuries. Some of these people may have lived at Puerco Pueblo, located less than one mile north of this site.

The sheer number of spirals, animals, geometric shapes, and human-like figures in such a concentrated area is what gives this site its name, like pages of a stone newspaper chronicling centuries of human life and communication.

A View with Perspective

Access to the petroglyphs is limited to protect their integrity, but a viewing platform offers scopes that provide a closer view of many carvings. If you have binoculars or a good camera lens, bring them. I was thankful we had ours, as the view was better than the scopes at the overlook. 

There are interpretive signs that help make sense of the ancient symbols and their possible meanings, though much is still left to the imagination—and that’s part of the fun. We spent about 15 minutes admiring the petroglyphs. The entire time, we had the view to ourselves.

Explore Petrified Forest National Park

While you’re in the area, take time to explore other nearby highlights of the Petrified Forest, like the Giant Logs Trail or the vibrant logs of Crystal Forest. The national park’s unique blend of geological and archaeological wonders makes it a great place to visit.

Travel Tips:

• The best time to visit is early morning or late afternoon when the light enhances the petroglyphs.
• Bring binoculars or a telephoto lens if you want a closer look beyond the scopes.
• Don’t forget water and sunscreen.