Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Idaho Arco Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Home to the deepest rift anywhere on Earth.

Arco, Idaho

Added By
sideshowilly
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Kings Bowl and Great Rift from air. King’s Bowl is a phreatic explosion pit 280 feet (90 m) long, 100 feet (30 m) wide, and 100 feet (30 m) deep, caused by lava meeting groundwater and producing a steam explosion 2,200 years ago. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_th...
Craters of the Moon from U.S. 20-26-93. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_th...
The black soil on Inferno Cone exhibits the properties Limbert wrote about. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_th...
Cinder crags from North Crater on the North Crater Flow. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_th...
Big Southern Butte was used as a landmark by pioneers. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_th...
This scoria field shows typical conditions at Craters of the Moon. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_th...
Craters of the Moon during the winter   OliverWDahl / Atlas Obscura User
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
Homage to a Limber Pine   RedHotRutabaga / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Spatter Cones   Brittany K Photo
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Snow on lava rock   evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
  falynnk / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to Indian Tunnel   Brittany K Photo
Hiking path through the lava fields.   jlkirkwood / Atlas Obscura User
View from the top of Inferno Cone   Brittany K Photo
  itstom / Atlas Obscura User
Craters of the Moon - Cinder Cone on film   OliverWDahl / Atlas Obscura User
Craters of the Moon on film   OliverWDahl / Atlas Obscura User
  OliverWDahl / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A huge preserve located in the Snake River Plain in Central Idaho, Craters of the Moon is protected because of the area's many volcanic features that represent one of the best preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States. At an average elevation of nearly 6,000 feet, Craters of the Moon encompasses three major lava fields and nearly 400 square miles of sagebrush steppe grasslands.

Visitors flock to this protected area to see the lava fields, which all sit along the Great Rift of Idaho. Some of the open rift cracks are among the best known anywhere in the world, including the deepest rift on Earth, which measures 800 feet. More than two dozen volcanic cones represent lava flows from between 15,000 and 2,000 years ago.

Visitors, though, are encouraged to come prepared. This area is rugged, with only one paved road reaching across the northern end. There is a visitor center, and a highway provides access to it, but hiking through the preserve could be dangerous. All of the plants and animals that grow and live in the area are under environmental stress, as it rarely rains in the preserve, and all of the water is immediately lost to the rifts, where it eventually makes its way to the Snake River. Dry winds constantly work their way across the steppe, and the soil temperature can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

The preserve also has more than 50 camping sites for visitors. None, though, can be reserved in advance, and they are very basic, including little more than water and trash containers. Campers visit Craters of the Moon in both the summer and the winter, when the Loop Drive is closed to traffic and made available to skiers.

While the monument was established way back in May of 1924, the area wasn't designated the Craters of the Moon National Preserve until August of 2002. Just two years earlier, President Clinton had signed a proclamation that greatly expanded the site to what closely resembles its current shape and size. The area, given its designation, is managed by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management.

Related Tags

Natural Wonders Geological Oddities Cultures And Civilizations Craters Geology Nature

Know Before You Go

The Kings Bowl crater can be found at 42.950068°, -113.216847° The Big Cinder Butte can be found at 43.416723°, -113.538914°

Community Contributors

Added By

sideshowilly

Edited By

MagnumPI, erjeffery, nbj914, specs1624...

  • MagnumPI
  • erjeffery
  • nbj914
  • specs1624
  • falynnk
  • jlkirkwood
  • Collector of Experiences
  • itstom
  • breaingram
  • evilgreentriangle
  • mocchiatto
  • RedHotRutabaga
  • OliverWDahl

Published

May 15, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Wikipedia: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_the_Moon_National_Monument_and_Preserve
  • Digital Atlas of Idaho: Craters of the Moon: http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geog/parks/craters/craters.htm
  • Virtual Tourist: Craters of the Moon National Monument Tourist Guide: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Idaho/Craters_of_the_Moon_National_Monument-775479/TravelGuide-Craters_of_the_Moon_National_Monument.html
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
US 20
Arco, Idaho, 83213
United States
43.41665, -113.51665
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Devil Boat

Arco, Idaho

miles away

Experimental Breeder Reactor-I

Arco, Idaho

miles away

Shoshone Ice Caves

Shoshone, Idaho

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Arco

Arco

Idaho

Places 3

Nearby Places

The Devil Boat

Arco, Idaho

miles away

Experimental Breeder Reactor-I

Arco, Idaho

miles away

Shoshone Ice Caves

Shoshone, Idaho

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Arco

Arco

Idaho

Places 3

Related Stories and Lists

The United States of Camping

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Related Places

  • Painted Dunes from the top of the adjacent cinder cone.

    Old Station, California

    Painted Dunes

    Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.

  • Rivière-Koksoak, Québec

    Pingualuit Crater Lake

    A lake in the middle of the tundra of Quebec is said to be the purest freshwater lake on Earth.

  • Las Cruces, New Mexico

    Prehistoric Trackways National Monument

    Wee (and not so wee) footprints that insects and reptiles of the Paleozoic Era left behind.

  • The Vredefort Impact Crater

    Vredefort, South Africa

    Vredefort Impact Crater

    The world's largest impact crater is mainly eroded but still remembers the planet's violent history.

  • Rivière-aux-Outardes, Québec

    Lake Manicouagan

    A lake formed in the basin of a massive impact crater takes the shape of an unbroken ring when viewed from above.

  • The musical stone

    Qobustan, Azerbaijan

    Musical Stone of Gobustan

    Resonant stone, that has been played since prehistoric times.

  • Ghat, Libya

    Acacus Mountains

    Landscape of bizarrely shaped desert mountains and innumerable rock carvings.

  • Nördlingen, Germany

    Nordlingen

    A meteorite-bounded town in Bavaria.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.