-->

Newspaper Rock

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5422 - 5429 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 15 mins.
Trailhead: Newspaper Rock
Fee: $20/vehicle
Attractions: Petroglyphs




Newspaper Rock is an ancestral Puebloan petroglyph site located in the Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, Arizona. The site is similar to the one by the same name that is located near the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. Both sites have so many petroglyphs that today we would say they are like reading a newspaper.


The parking area is located a little less than 12 miles from the north entrance along the Petrified Forest Road.


From the parking area there is a short wheelchair accessible paved trail that leads to an overlook area.


Most of the petroglyphs are on a single boulder well below the observation point.


Viewing scopes make it easier to get a good look at the images. Some people might prefer to bring their own binoculars.


A typical camera zoom will bring the images close enough to show that there is something there.


With a 300mm lens most all of the images are easily discernible.


A 600mm lens is even better yet. In this picture you can even see that some of the rocks surface has broken away taking whatever images were there with it.



Like Puerco Pueblo, Newspaper Rock is an added bonus for visitors to the Petrified Forest National Park who may have come expecting to see only petrified wood. Newspaper Rock shows that the area apparently held a significant value for the ancestral Puebloan people many hundreds of years ago. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.