Craters of the Moon National Monument is located about 1.5 hours north of Twin Falls, Idaho. It is on US Hwy 93/ID Hwy 26 and sort of in the middle of nowhere. It is near Arco, Idaho, which is interesting in its’ own right. I think that I will leave you to the good hands of Google to get directions from wherever you are as it is accessible from too many places to provide instructions for. Be sure to use the address of 1266 Craters Loop Road, Arco, ID 83213 to get the correct destination. The highways to the monument are paved, and all the roads within the monument are paved as well. There are some handicap accessible trails as well, so that more people can enjoy the features of the area.

We decided to begin our exploration of the monument with the first trail that we found. The North Crater Trail promised to be a nice, tho strenuous, 1.8 mile trek through crumbly lava rock called cinder. We began with a steep ascent, the wind sweeping through our hair and the heat rising from the ground. Unfortunately, the heat, dryness, and lack of shade proved too much to handle and we turned around after about a half mile to seek the refuge of the car. I would like to point out to people who come from mild climates that this area is high desert. The air is thinner, the sun is more intense, and the air is dry. The ground also warms in the sun, making the air even warmer than the thermometer states. If you are not sure about your comfort level, wait until morning to do the longer hikes and keep the shorter jaunts, of which there are quite a few, for the warmer part of the day. Be sure to bring plenty of water, tho the campgrounds are absolutely covered in water hydrants to use.

After the health of everyone involved was seen to, we began to do an auto tour of the park. Our next stop was the spatter cone area. This is also the location of where the North Crater Trail ends or starts depending on how you want to hike it. The trail here is paved for a short distance of about 1/4 mile. I walked to both of the cones that are available from the parking lot and checked them out. The snow cone, which had snow in it yet despite the near 90°F temperature, is accessible by wheelchair, but the other cone has a quite steep and narrow ascent, which might make it a bit more difficult to get to.

The next stop was at the parking lot for the Tree Mold and Broken Top Loop Trails. These trails are relatively short trails, being 1 and 1.8 miles each way, respectively. Since I did not hike the trails, I cannot state much more than what I read about them. There is some shade and a toilet in the parking lot if you need a potty break before heading out on the open trail.
We stopped next at the parking lot for the the caves. We had not intended to explore the caves and had therefore not stopped at the visitors’ center to get a free permit to do so. The free permits are intended to help protect the bat population that the caves support. I believe that there are normally about 4 caves to explore. I did read that headlamps or other light sources are required for entry into the caves, so make sure you have some torches at hand before plunging into the darkness.

Our final stop was at the visitor’s center. It has a nice little display that helps to explain the geological factors at hand in the creation of the area the monument encloses. There are also some models of the animals and birds that can be found in the area. Examples of the different stone types are displayed and explained as well. There was a video playing that explains more about the monument as well, but we were starting to not feel well again and wanted to get moving to cooler climes and the opportunity to set up a camp that we would hopefully be able to sleep at. There was also a lot of merch in the visitor’s center, of which a few books called out to me.

If you can make it to Craters of the Moon National Monument, I would definitely recommend the trip. One of the highlights that I had not stated earlier is the fact that the park is an International Dark Sky Park also. You have to stay the night to truly appreciate that tho. Bring your cameras (phones work too) and your tripods and get some amazing photos of the Milky Way, the stars, or the moon.
The area is quite unique and the geology is very young in geological years and is therefore in better condition than other similar areas in the world. It has to be experienced to be truly appreciated. If you have only a couple hours, I would suggest the short North Crater Flow trail and then the Scatter Cone area. If you have days, I would just try to see everything there is to experience. It is rare that I like being around all the people that places like this attract, but the uniqueness and beauty actually let me forget about my social anxiety for a bit and just exist in a moment. I cannot recommend this monument enough.

Here is the official National Parks Service website.

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