Craters of the Moon: Exploring the Moon in Idaho
Plan your trip to other-worldly Craters of the Moon in Idaho. The Craters of the Moon National Preserve and Monument is one of the strangest places we've ever visited, and our travel guide will help you plan your road trip to get the most of this place. Including tips on the best things to do, top activities, how to get there, when to visit, and where to stay.
Craters of the Moon is a fascinating national preserve in the state of Idaho, US, that we visited on our road trip across the American Northwest. Formed by a massive volcanic activity between fifteen to twenty thousand years ago, Craters of the Moon offers such a unique travel experience, that will stay with you for a long time.
The dark rocky and barren moonscape will remind you of only one place - the Moon.
And who wouldn't want to visit the Moon? It might sound like a silly dream, but there is something about the idea of venturing into space, that you can't simply brush it off as nonsense. It's calm, quiet, so far from everything.
Nevertheless, commercial flights to the Moon are still a long way off, and even when they will be available, the price of the ticket will be probably out of our salary range.
So when we started planning our trip around the Canadian Rockies and the US Northwest, we knew that places such as Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton, or Mount Rainier National Park are a must-visit.
By looking at the map, we also soon realized that the distance between Grand Teton and Mount Rainier NP is almost 1300 kilometers. And even for a road trip, this is a long-distance to cover in only one day.
So back to the map we went.
And as someone who has spent the last three weeks hiking in the Canadian mountains, forests, and driving around insanely colorful Yellowstone NP, we were intrigued by the thought of exploring something a bit different.
And boy oh boy, did we find something else!
Craters of the Moon is nothing like any places we've ever visited (okay, Tongariro Track in New Zealand offers some similarities), and we really enjoyed our trip through this barren land.
Our arrival to Craters of the Moon was not very cheerful though, as it rained pretty hard the whole morning, and the entire black and gray area looked even gloomier than usual.
We spent some time in the visitors' center reading the fascinating facts about this place while the rain was pouring down. As the clouds didn't look like they were gonna break, we felt pretty miserable.
Even the reading of the facts and trivia started to lose its appeal to us, so we decided to put on our rain jackets, and ventured out into the pelting rain, to explore this out of this world area.
We had only one question on our lips:
Does it rain on Moon too?
CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT AND PRESERVE
The official name of this extraordinary place is Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, and you will find it in south Idaho, US.
Molten lava formed this desolate landscape roughly 15 thousand years ago, and today we can visit the best highlights this marvelous place has to offer.
The visitor center is named after Robert Limbert, a local figure, who was an eager explorer of the area. He was a dreamer, who made a few short trips to this area before he set off on a 17 day and 130 kilometers long journey across the lava fields with only one companion and a dog.
During the trip, he documented, photographed, and named a lot of points of interest. He saw a lot of potential in this area and believed that one day, this area will attract thousands of tourists from all over the US.
Nowadays, more than two hundred thousand visitors come to see this unusual landscape every year, so he saw the potential right.
On top of that, in 1969, selected astronauts of Apollo 14 were given a task by NASA to train in conditions similar to those found on Moon.
These guys from NASA were great pilots but no geologists, and their supervisors thought, that this type of training will come handy once they land on the Moon.
So NASA sent them to Hawaii, Iceland, and also to Craters of the Moon area to train them for their upcoming mission.
How cool is that?
THINGS TO DO
From walking across the enormous lava fields to snowshoeing in the winter, from exploring impressive lava tubes to stargazing from the backcountry campsites, Craters of the Moon sure have a lot to offer.
There are technically two seasons in Craters of the Moon Monument and National Preserve.
Spring, summer, and fall allow you to explore the park more conventionally. You can drive around the Loop Road in a car. There are many trails for short hikes, and there is also a much longer Wilderness Trail.
You can camp in one of the designated areas, or even choose to try the backcountry camping, though you need a backcountry permit. This is a must for stargazing enthusiasts as the sky is free of light pollution.
Even though the Loop Road is closed for vehicles in winter, you can still visit the national preserve and enjoy activities such as snowshoeing or cross country skiing at this time of the year.
Besides the activities and hikes in Craters of the Moon National Monument, there is not much else to do in the area, though you can visit yet another strange town in the area called Atomic city.
With its population of 25, this is a true introduction to America's Wasteland that will deliver even stranger experience than Arco.
ROBERT LIMBERT VISITOR CENTER
Start your wandering around the Moon in the Visitors Center.
You can obtain here the permit for the caves, or the backcountry permit, watch a movie, read interpretative boards, or ask for directions and tips on the best things to do in Craters of the Moon National Preserve.
Rangers working there were absolutely helpful, and you can get a lot of very useful info about the park there.
There are, of course, the restrooms and a parking lot. When the weather is not pleasant, you can spend some time here, and stay warm and dry.
LOOP ROAD
The Loop Road is a scenic one-way self-drive road that goes through various places of the Craters of the Moon NP.
Drive slowly and take your time to fully take in the details, enjoy the unreal landscape from the car, look for wildlife, and appreciate the (un)natural beauty of this place.
Stop frequently in the designated parking areas and explore the best places on short hikes.
Even though you can see the best of the area just driving through, we highly recommend you to explore this area on foot.
The Loop Road starts from the Visitors Center, and we will walk you through some of the best sights and must-visit attractions along the way.
NORTH CRATER FLOW TRAIL
The first stop on the Loop Road is a short North Crater Flow Trail.
This place is a great introduction to this area as you will see a volcanic flow frozen in time. There are some interpretative boards along the way that will explain a lot more about the Craters of the Moon.
The trail is 0.5 kilometers one way.
INFERNO CONE
A short and steep trail will take you to the top of a jet black Inferno Cone, one of the most spectacular natural sights in the park.
You don't need any directions for this hike, just follow the slightly grayer path of footprints until you reach the summit of the cone.
Surprisingly, there is not a crater at the top, but the cone offers stunning views of the national preserve. And unless your waterproof jacket has a black color, you can take a pretty epic photos of your family or friends.
In other words, this is the best short hike in the Monument!
SPATTER CONES
Spatter Cones are miniature volcanoes accessible via a super short (84m one way) paved Spatter Cones Trail from the parking lot.
The cones were formed by blobs of molten lava tossed into the air during the dramatic eruptions that happened about 2100 years ago. This is another really cool place on Loop Road worth a visit.
And don't forget to check out also the Snow Cone!
BROKEN TOP LOOP TRAIL
Another great loop trail in the Craters of the Moon NP is very scenic and well-marked.
The trail will take you around a Broken Top cone hill. You might enter the Buffalo Caves (with a permit) from this trail.
Also, the Wilderness trail starts here.
WILDERNESS TRAIL
Follow the Broken Top Loop Trail until you arrive at the Wilderness Trail trailhead, which you will find at the southeast corner of the loop.
This trail is an in and out trail that is more than a 6.5 kilometers each way. It will take you to the Echo Crater, which offers superb views of the area.
The trail is a little bit harder to follow from Echo Crater, which is a perfect place for backcountry camping, and you will need backcountry experience and navigation skills beyond the Sentinel. Ask at the visitor center for and updated trail information before heading out.
LAVA TUBES
Despite the fact, that there are three different types of caves found within the national preserve, the vast majority of them are lava tubes.
These are one of the coolest places you can visit in the Monument, as the tunnels were formed by (interior) lava flows that cooled down and were diverted elsewhere.
More than five hundred caves have been found in Craters of the Moon NP, though you can access only five of them - Indian Tunnel, Dew Drop, Beauty, Buffalo Caves, and Boy Scout.
The best part about these lava tubes and caves is that you can actually climb down beneath the surface and explore them from there.
To enter a lava tube or a cave you need to obtain a cave permit (it's free) from the Visitor Center or Entrance Station. By obtaining a cave permit, you help to protect the bats that reside there.
DEVILS ORCHARD NATURE TRAIL
This likable and fairly easy trail will take you around wonderful lava formations, and you can read interpretative signs along the way.
The trail is mostly flat, only 0.8 kilometers long, and you might be able to spot some wildlife from the trail.
ARCO
What was the strangest little town you have ever visited?
For us, it must have been Arco in Idaho. Even though, the first impression didn't make much of an impact on us. So how is that possible?
Well, as these things usually are, it's about the story behind the town's fascinating history, but we will get to it in a moment. As we had been on the road for most of the day, we sure felt tired when we arrived in the town. We drove around and quickly found a campground where we stopped for the day.
Now about the history.
In the early fifties, there was a lot of tension between the US and the USSR at the time, and nuclear energy was the topic number one that made this tension even tenser and more dangerous.
First used as a deadly weapon, nuclear energy was the source of fear and anxiety between these two nations.
However, not everything the US government did was about nuclear weapons. They also did something else.
They tried to use nuclear energy for power generation.
So on one particularly cold winter day just before Christmas, a group of scientists conducted a daring experiment that changed the world forever.
In the first experiment, they lit four light bulbs, then the entire building, and a few years later, Arco was the first nuclear-powered town in the world.
By driving from Idaho Falls to Arco across this area of vast plains and barren lands, you will soon realize, why this place was chosen to become the center of nuclear energy in the US.
The road stretches for miles and miles, and there is nothing around, except for a dry yellow grass that creeps over the land that looks like it has been scorched by a massive fire. It was the perfect place for the US military to build the first reactor there.
Soon enough, Arco became the first town in the United States lighted by atomic power.
Unfortunately, the SL-1 reactor malfunctioned a few years later, and three people died on the scene in what became the first nuclear accident in the world's history.
HOW TO GET TO THE CRATERS OF THE MOON
We spent the morning of the previous day hiking in Grand Teton and drove for about four hours to Arco later in the afternoon, spent a night there, and the next day early in the morning drove to Rober Limbert Visitor Center.
No public transportation serves the park, so unless you want to hitchhike, you need to rent a car to get to Craters of the Moon.
From Idaho Falls, follow the US Highway 20, and then US Highway 26. In Arco, turn left and stay on Highway 26.
From Twin Falls, leave the city via the US Highway 93, and when you arrive in Shoshone, leave the town via the US Highway 26 exit.
The road is paved, and in good condition, so you don't need a four-wheel drive. The same applies to the Loop Road inside the national preserve.
WHERE TO STAY
The closest city to Craters of the Moon is Idaho Falls, but there is also a very small town Arco, where you will find a few very basic motels.
In Arco, there is also a 'free campsite', RV Park, and KOA campground, where we stayed, as we really needed to wash our cloth.
If you are looking for something more comfortable, you may want to stay in either Idaho Falls or Twin Falls. Both cities offer a wider selection of accommodation, though they are located a little bit farther from the Craters of the Moon.
We saved the best for last.
There is a nice and very basic campsite called Lava Flow Campground with 42 sites near the visitor center. It's open only from May to November, and you can only pay by credit card (no cash is accepted), and one night costs 15 USD in high season and 8 USD when the water is not available in the campground.
It's a great place to catch the sunset/sunrise over the wasteland, and to sleep 'under the stars'.
We've picked the best hotel (for the price) in three cities near the Craters of the Moon.
Arco | Arco Inn Motel - As there are only a few hotels in Arco, they provide very similar standards of service. Arco Inn Motel is a very basic but clean motel with a very convenient location (it takes about 20 minutes by car to get to the visitors center) and good value for your money. Rooms come with free WiFi, private parking, and private bathrooms. Don't expect too much.
Idaho Falls | Best Western Plus CottonTree Inn - Clean and comfortable hotel with spacious rooms, satellite TV, nice pool area and modern decor. Full hot breakfast is served daily, the staff is professional, and the location is very convenient (close to the airport).
Twin Falls | Holiday Inn Express Hotel Twin Falls - Pleasant modern rooms, quiet location, comfortable beds, satellite TV, and complimentary breakfast, Holiday Inn Express Hotel Twin Falls offers very good service for an affordable price.
WHEN TO VISIT
Which seasons are good for traveling in Craters of the Moon?
It depends on what would you like to see and do there. The Loop Road usually opens at mid-April (depends on the snow), and the spring brings warmer temperatures in this area, though some facilities, attractions, and trails might be still closed.
The wildflowers start to bloom in June and bring some colors in this otherwise pretty monochromatic landscape.
Summer brings hot days and chilly nights, and the park sees the most visitors at this time of the year.
We visited the Craters of the Moon in the middle of September, and we met there only a few people that day, but once again, the weather was pretty bad on the day of our visit.
In our opinion, late summer and early autumn is the best time to visit Craters of the Moon.
This time of the year will give you the best moon-like experience.
And then there is the wintertime.
The elevation of this place is approximately 1800 meters above sea level, and in this latitude, the winters are pretty long and cold.
A blanket of snow covers Craters of the Moon and delivers a completely different experience.
The winter lasts from November to March, though you might expect snow even in May. And even though the Loop Road closes by mid-November, you can bring snowshoes, and explore this snow-covered area on foot.
On top of that, if you arrive on Saturday in January and February, a local park ranger will take you on a guided snowshoe walk around this place (you don't need any experience with this activity).
Or you can try cross country skiing on a perfectly groomed ski trail. That's right, each winter, the Loop Road turns into a unique track that will take you around this amazing area. Cross country skis are a must for this sport activity.
Pretty neat!
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
ENTRANCE FEE
The entry fee to Craters of the Moon is 20 USD for a vehicle. The entrance fee to the Craters of the Moon doesn't cover the fee for a camping ground (15 USD per campsite).
Are Craters of the Moon Worth Visiting?
First, to answer the question from the beginning of this blog post.
No, it doesn't rain on the Moon.
Is Craters of the Moon and Monument Preserve worth a visit?
Absolutely!
In fact, that somewhat cold weather, the sky of dark clouds, and the unyielding rain made our visit even more memorable, and we really enjoyed our trip to this surreal part of the US!
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
