Trip report
Oct 24, 2024 — Pilot Rock is the highest point in Petrified Forest National Park, but my interest in reaching it was more about experiencing a long outing in the park’s backcountry. Years ago, I was eager to explore this park but, as a less-experienced hiker I skipped Pilot Rock, deterred by the daunting miles and the risk of getting lost. Yet, the idea of wandering through the vast Painted Desert badlands in pursuit of this summit lingered in my mind, keeping it on my to-do list. The peak is located in the northwest corner of Petrified Forest National Park, far from the visitor center and scenic drive. I believe an easier route exists from that the west, but it requires a permit and navigating a bad road, plus the fun of this outing was to traverse a large area of the park on foot.
Unlike most national parks, Petrified Forest National Park remains closed to traffic until its official opening time, which meant a later start than I would have preferred. I parked at the Painted Desert Inn, which offers some cool historical exhibits, although I didn’t go inside during this visit. I could see Pilot Rock on the distant horizon, the only notable lump in an otherwise flat area. I started down a well-worn trail that switchbacks from the mesa housing the Painted Desert Inn down into the badlands below. The trail continues for about half a mile before starting to peter out.
Beforehand, I had spent some time planning my route, studying satellite imagery to minimize the effort of going up and over the numerous lumps characteristic of the badlands in this area. However, it turns out that most of this can be avoided by following various washes until reaching the very base of Pilot Rock. Accessing each wash required some careful navigation, and I was glad to have a GPS for this route. Thankfully, it’s difficult to get truly lost here since Pilot Rock serves as a landmark to the northwest, with the Painted Desert Inn atop the mesa acting as a beacon behind me. While getting lost on an outing like this would not be ideal, knowing the locations of these two features provided extra reassurance in case something happened to my GPS.
After an easy walk through the desert, I crossed Lithodendron Wash and entered a minor drainage dotted with pieces of petrified wood. I was a bit disappointed to realize that most of the petrified wood is concentrated within the first couple of miles. For the rest of the hike, I encountered mostly rust-colored hills straddling the washes I chose to navigate. I had visited this nook of the park before during an excursion to Onyx Bridge, but it was nice to revisit and see some of the natural artifacts again. This short section also marked the first bit of badland terrain I needed to navigate. After descending out of these small hills, I continued north through a major wash, eventually veering left into its northwest spur.
As the wash narrowed into a web of little drainages, I followed the most prominent one, which led to the base of an eroded cliff forming an extensive rim. Reaching this rim required either navigating the bumpy, narrow badland fingers or finding one of the tiny drainages that offered access higher up. After a couple of tries, I located a suitable drainage, which required a Class 2+ scramble to ascend the rim. For others attempting this route, it may be easier to reach the rim farther north, where the terrain seems less steep.
Once above the rim, I got an excellent view of Pilot Rock and was now well over halfway there. I followed the rim briefly before descending lumpy terrain into another wide wash. This wash was so wide at points that I occasionally questioned whether I was still even within it. I crossed over Digger Wash and began ascending a series of smaller drainages leading to the base of Pilot Rock.
From below, it was clear that the easiest route to gain the summit woud be from a slope on the southeast side, which I explored on my descent and confirmed. However, on the way up, I was tempted by the interesting-looking gully riddled with large black boulders that separated volcanic cliffs on the left from grassy slope on the right. This was a fun little undertaking, involving a few rabbit-hole crawl spaces and Class 2+ boulder obstacles. My fluffy running shoes expressed their distaste for the loose terrain and tossed me to the ground. Higher up, I exited the gully and ascended the grassy slope to the right, avoiding small dryfalls. I followed the grassy slope to the summit of Pilot Rock, where I got wonderfully expansive views of the Painted Desert.