Holbrook ArizonaATTRACTIONS & THINGS TO DO
Listed below are the best attractions and things to do near Holbrook, Arizona.
1. Petrified Forest National Park
ANCIENT FOSSILIZED TREES WONDERLAND
Petrified Forest National Park showcases fossilized logs that are up to 225 million years old, along with stunning badlands, mesas, and ancient petroglyphs. Visitors can explore various trails including the Crystal Forest Loop where ancient petrified trees embedded with crystals display unique hues. The park also features the breathtaking Painted Desert filled with brilliantly colored rocks, offering a glimpse into Earth's distant past.
2. DoBell Ranch
AUTHENTIC PETRIFIED WOOD EXPERIENCE
DoBell Ranch offers visitors a hands-on experience with petrified wood, where guests can actually dig for pieces to take home. This family-friendly attraction provides a unique opportunity to learn about the fossilization process while collecting authentic souvenirs. The ranch combines education with adventure in a beautiful natural setting near Holbrook.
3. Navajo County Historical Museum
WILD WEST HERITAGE PRESERVED
The Navajo County Historical Museum, housed in the historic 1898 courthouse building, provides a fascinating look into Holbrook's colorful past. Visitors can walk through the old jail, view Native American art displays, and learn about the area's Wild West history. The museum serves as both an educational institution and an Arizona Office of Tourism endorsed visitor center providing information about regional attractions.
4. Old Route 66 Vista Point
HISTORIC HIGHWAY PANORAMIC VIEWS
Old Route 66 Vista Point offers travelers a nostalgic glimpse of America's most famous highway with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. While primarily a photo opportunity featuring the iconic row of telephone poles that once lined the Mother Road, this lookout provides context for understanding the historic significance of Route 66. Visitors can appreciate both the natural beauty and cultural importance of this landmark that connected America from Chicago to Los Angeles.
5. Historic Blue Forest Trail
BLUE-BANDED ROCK FORMATIONS
The Historic Blue Forest Trail winds through a unique geological area characterized by distinctive blue-banded rocks that create an otherworldly landscape. Rather than a traditional path, the trail is more of a suggested route through wide open areas, allowing hikers to explore at their own pace. Visitors are encouraged to obtain a printed guide to fully appreciate the natural wonders and geological history of this remarkable formation.
6. Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Company
PREMIER PETRIFIED WOOD GALLERY
Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Company houses an impressive collection of petrified wood specimens, minerals, and fossils in a museum-quality setting. Visitors can browse through the extensive gallery featuring everything from small polished pieces to massive petrified logs and artistic creations. The family-owned business offers educational displays alongside shopping opportunities for collectors and casual tourists alike.
7. Bucket of Blood Street
NOTORIOUS WILD WEST LANDMARK
Bucket of Blood Street stands as a vivid reminder of Holbrook's lawless frontier days when the town was considered "too tough for women and churches." This distinctively named thoroughfare references the infamous Bucket of Blood Saloon, site of numerous violent encounters during the town's cattle rustling heyday. Today, visitors can walk this historic street and imagine the gun-slinging past that defined Holbrook's Wild West era.
8. Blevins House
FAMOUS SHOOTOUT HISTORICAL SITE
The Blevins House marks the site of one of the Wild West's most legendary gun battles, where Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens faced off against the notorious Blevins gang. This historic location, included in Holbrook's self-guided walking tour, provides visitors with insight into frontier justice and the violent realities of territorial Arizona. The building and its story exemplify the lawlessness that once characterized this frontier community before it transformed into today's peaceful town.
9. Agate House
ANCIENT PUEBLO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Agate House represents an extraordinary eight-room pueblo built entirely of petrified wood by ancient peoples between 1050 and 1300 CE. This remarkable structure, located in Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, demonstrates the ingenuity of prehistoric inhabitants who utilized available materials to create permanent dwellings. Visitors can witness this unique architectural achievement that blends human history with the area's distinctive geological features.
10. Rainbow Forest Museum
PREHISTORIC LIFE INTERPRETIVE CENTER
The Rainbow Forest Museum serves as the primary interpretive center for understanding the prehistoric life and geological wonders of Petrified Forest National Park. Inside, visitors will find paleontological exhibits featuring fossils, interactive displays explaining the petrification process, and informative presentations about the region's ancient ecosystems. The museum provides an excellent starting point for exploring the surrounding trails that showcase some of the most concentrated areas of petrified wood in the park.
11. Crystal Forest Loop
GLITTERING PETRIFIED WOOD TRAIL
The Crystal Forest Loop trail winds through the heart of Petrified Forest National Park, showcasing ancient trees that have been transformed into stone with glittering quartz crystals. Hikers on this accessible path can observe how these prehistoric logs, fallen over 200 million years ago, now sparkle with purple, blue, yellow, and red mineral deposits. The relatively short loop offers numerous photography opportunities and interpretive signs explaining the scientific processes behind this natural phenomenon.
12. Painted Desert
VIBRANT MULTICOLORED BADLANDS
The Painted Desert stretches across northern Arizona with its most accessible viewpoints located near Holbrook in Petrified Forest National Park. This breathtaking landscape features bands of colorful rock layers in hues of lavender, red, orange, and pink that change dramatically with the shifting sunlight throughout the day. Visitors can experience this geological masterpiece from numerous overlooks, with sunrise and sunset offering particularly spectacular displays of color and shadow across the undulating terrain.
13. Hidden Cove Golf Course
DESERT OASIS GOLF EXPERIENCE
Hidden Cove Golf Course provides a recreational retreat for both locals and travelers passing through Holbrook on their Arizona adventures. The course offers a pleasant golfing experience amidst the high desert landscape, with reasonable green fees and rental equipment available. After a round, players can relax at the clubhouse while enjoying views of the surrounding terrain that contrasts lush fairways with the arid beauty of northeastern Arizona.
14. Homolovi Ruins State Park
ANCIENT HOPI SETTLEMENT REMAINS
Homolovi Ruins State Park preserves the archaeological remains of several ancient Hopi villages that were inhabited between approximately 1260 and 1400 CE just outside of Winslow, a short drive from Holbrook. Visitors can explore interpretive trails leading to partially excavated pueblos where pottery fragments still litter the ground, offering glimpses into centuries-old Native American life. The park's visitor center features exhibits explaining the cultural significance of these sites to contemporary Hopi people, who consider this area part of their ancestral homeland.
15. Canyon de Chelly National Monument
SACRED CANYON CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
Canyon de Chelly National Monument, located within Navajo Nation land and accessible as a day trip from Holbrook, features spectacular sandstone canyons that have been continuously inhabited for nearly 5,000 years. Visitors can view ancient cliff dwellings, pictographs, and petroglyphs while appreciating the stunning geological formations from overlooks along the canyon rim drives. To enter the canyon floor where Navajo families still farm seasonally, travelers must hire authorized Navajo guides who share cultural knowledge and stories about this sacred landscape.