Chaco Canyon vs. Petrified Forest (Southwest Road Trip)

[Silence_Dogood]

Found out I'll be heading to Tucson for a work conference this week, and thought I'd make a few stops along the way. Right now I can spend 1-1.5 days in either Chaco Canyon NHP or Petrified Forest NP. Anyone have an opinion on which park I should explore? I'd rather spend a proper amount of time at one park instead of trying to cram both in as half-day trips (although I could do a "drive through" of Petrified Forest on my way south). I plan on camping and spending a full day at White Sands National Monument on the return trip. Thoughts?

Proposed Itinerary
Wednesday: Depart Denver & drive to Chaco Canyon/Petrified Forest
Thursday: Explore Chaco Canyon/Petrified Forest
Friday: Drive to Tucson
Saturday-Tuesday: Work. Sneak in a hike to Chiricahua National Monument if possible
Wednesday: Drive to White Sands
Thursday: Explore White Sands
Friday: Drive to Denver; explore Salinas Missions along the way

[robbiemanta]

I would recommend Chaco Canyon for the simple reason that the moon will be very small and Chaco Canyon is one of the best star watching locations in America. Add this to the relation of the architecture of the Pueblos and the stars, how all of the buildings align with the equinoxes and is centered around the North Star, totally worth it. The Park Rangers there really know what they’re talking about, so definitely hit them up for information. There’s a lot of good exploring to do, so I would 100% recommend it. Note of caution, however, I have not been to petrified forest and cannot form an opinion on which is better, all I can say is that Chaco canyon is incredible. If you’re interested in Native American culture, check it out for sure.

[seano]

If you have a whole day, definitely Chaco. Also, check out the Organs on your way to White Sands. They can be windy, but if they're not, this is the time to visit. Also, eat at Nellie's in Las Cruces.

[TravelFar]

While I don't have much advice on your itinerary, I do have a photo of White Sands to add. It really is sofa king cool (if it's not too windy)

[Tory Wells]

I have not been to Chaco Canyon, but I have been to Petrified Forest and I was not that impressed by it. It's the kind of park you explore quickly (an hour or two) and then move on to something else.

[Scott P]

Chaco Canyon has more hiking trails and more to do for sure.

[wineguy]

I have not been to Chaco Canyon, but I have been to Petrified Forest and I was not that impressed by it. It's the kind of park you explore quickly (an hour or two) and then move on to something else.

I have a friend who felt the same way, but my wife and I both enjoyed it. We had some drama, rangers nabbed someone trying to steal some specimens. Rangers are always on the lookout with high power scopes. I agree that it's not a major destination, more a stop-by if you're in the area kind of place. But I'd say the same about White Sands. I definitely recommend Chaco over the Petrified Forest. But, I'd also recommend Petrified Forest over White Sands. Can't give any objective reasons, except maybe more variety in petrified logs than in miles of sand. My recommendation might vary with the weather outlook in each location.

Chiricahua Monument also has some cool hiking. First place I ever saw a coatimundi in the wild. If like others on this site, your day is not complete without a couple thousand feet of vertical, you can do Chiricahua Peak (5139 of prominence, so an "ultra"), though I don't think it is in the monument.

[Above_Treeline]

Chaco canyon sounds more interesting, but I haven’t been there. I did like all the petrified wood around petrified forest, though. Worth taking a look. Bit of an iconic park.

Chiricahua was cool, stopped for a bit on the way through one time. Like to go back

[cougar]

Chaco for sure, most impressive. Take the trail up to the rim for an impressive overlook of the site.

Petrified Forest was ok but most of the wood is gone. There’s some left, including the bridge reinforced with concrete, but Blue Mesa there is nice. You can do it as a drive through for sure.

White Sands is pretty neat. It’s talc, fun to barefoot, and they plow it like snow. I got to see a missile test.

[Teresa Gergen]

Definitely Chaco. Can definitely drive through Petrified Forest with just a few stops. White Sands is great.

If you have time after work while you're in Tucson, there are a lot of short peak hikes on the west side of town. You can probably find GPS tracks on listsofjohn.com.

[onebyone]

Chaco for sure, most impressive. Take the trail up to the rim for an impressive overlook of the site.

Petrified Forest was ok but most of the wood is gone. There’s some left, including the bridge reinforced with concrete, but Blue Mesa there is nice. You can do it as a drive through for sure.

White Sands is pretty neat. It’s talc, fun to barefoot, and they plow it like snow. I got to see a missile test.

There's a ton wood at Petrified. You have to hike into the Painted Dunes a bit. Even hiking 1/2-3/4 mile from the road is really cool. 99.9% of people don't walk more than 5 minutes from the car.