My husband and I will be staying in Holbrook Ariz.arriving early eve. and have some time on the way to Canyon de Chelly the next day to sightsee.Considering doing the Petrified Forest early am and on to Window Rock to leave there probably by 2:00 to head for Canyon de Chelly. Will we have time to do justice to both and are both worth our time?

Petrified Forest should be no problem, it really depends on how much collecting you want to do (just kidding!). There are really three aspects to the park- the petrified wood deposits, the Painted Desert, and the Anasazi ruins. Most people are fascinated by the first, somewhat impressed by the second, and barely notice the third. Unless you plan on hiking, the Painted Desert is mainly a series of picture/overlook stops. If you are going to hike at Canyon de Chelley, you will likely see better ruins there (esp. White House), so you can skip the Petrified Forest ruins. In summary, a half-day should be sufficient to hike a trail or two in the park.

I have only been to Window Rock once or twice and don't remember much about it. I believe the Navajo have their tribal seat there and are trying to create a tourist attraction out of the place. It is a bit of a detour if you're headed to Canyon de Chelley, but not that far out of the way.

There is only one trail you can hike at Canyon de Chelly without an Indian guide and that is the one to the White House Ruins. Check at the Visitor's Center when you arrive to see if there is a ranger guided tour into the canyon. Half and full day truck tours can be arranged at the Thunderbird Lodge in the park.. Petrified can be done in two or three hours and it is worth the stop.

This site is certainly evidence that one man's trash is another's treasure as we all have different opinions based on our life experiences. Canyon de Chelley was one of the most spectacular sites I have seen in this great diverse country. I would return there many times. And had I never been to the Petrified Forest, I would make it a point to go there, too. That said, in my humble opinion, the Petrified Forest (once you glimpse the first mass of this incredibly unique fossil bed) is highly over-rated and is one of the few places in America that I would strike off my "want to see' list. Never in my life did I dream that something called a forest would be a desert.

I'll have to agree with Polly. Sandwiched inbetween visits to the spectacular Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelley, the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert were a big letdown to us.

Granted Petrified Forest NP doesn't measure up to Canyon de Chelly. But if you are in Holbrook, heading for De Chelly, you can drive through the entire length of Petrified and only add 20 miles to the journey from Holbrook to Chinle. You should do it since it is there and won't delay you more than a couple of hours, if that long.

Thanks everyone. I feel much better prepared to plan my time there. Can't wait.