When you travel west through Arizona on I-40, you will pass by one of the more unusual of our national parks. It is well worth your time to spend a day there. The road through the park is only 22 miles long, do if time is short, one could see the highlights in a half day or less. If you enter from I-40 you will first visit the Painted Desert.
The Painted Desert is one of the world’s greatest "Bad Lands." It is viewed just down the road form the visitor’s center.
As beautiful as those views are, the main attraction is the petrified trees of the park.
There are many different locations as you pass through the park where very large trees, some still pretty much intact, litter the landscape. There is no other place like it.
The best views do require some walking with well maintained trails, but some of them are rather steep and they range up to about 1 mile in length.
But the hikes are worth the effort, so wear good shoes and take a hike!
And, as in all national parks, there are other things to see as you pass through the park. And like all national parks there is also a museum of things from the park.