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Craters of the Moon National Monument

Introduction Entrance North Crater Flow Trail Devil's Orchid Nature Trail Inferno Cone
Splatter Cone Cave Area Trail Along Craters Loop Road Related Links

Craters Slideshow
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Introduction

Do you like black? Black with some reddish-brown mixed in every once in a while? And hot? And dry? Sometimes for as far as you can see?

Welcome to Craters Of The Moon National Monument.

Something you have to understand. This park has nothing to do with craters. Or the Moon, though some astronauts did come here to do some observations about the geology.

It's all about volcanic lava flows. Several, as a matter of fact, some more eruptive than others, but none really violent. At least not like those produced by the Cascades to the West, or the Yellowstone super volcano to the East. But there has been several flows, and the geologists say it'll happen again.

But that does leave a bunch of volcanic remenents to be explored. Cinder cones, lava flows, caves, lava tubes... Something like a playground from hell. A fun playground from hell.

CotMNM Map
Cropped map of Craters Of The Moon. Click on the map for a larger view.
It was 1998, and I was on my way to Grand Teton/Yellowstone from Salt Lake City, when I saw a sign on I-15 that said "Craters Of The Moon National Momnument" was 90 miles off the exit.

It certainly peaked my interest. In 2001, I found I could route myself through the park on the way back from Glacier. So I did.

As fate would have it, I arrived at Craters on September 11, 2001. We were in an alien landscape with surreal news on the radio. Such a bizzare day for me.

But I did go back again in 2006, on the way back from the Pacific Northwest...

Craters of the Moon National Monument
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North Crater Flow Trail
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Devil's Orchid Nature Trail
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Inferno Cone
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Splatter Cone
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Cave Area Trail
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Along Craters Loop Road
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Related Links

US-20, Goodale's Cutoff
US20 Link

I've travelled US-20 (in Idaho) from the Western Border where it joins I-84 to Rexburg. The portion from Mountain Home to Idaho Falls was known as Goodale's Cutoff, a shortcut on the Oregon Trail skirting the basalt lava fields rather than following the Snake River.

This link will take you to the Idaho State Page.
Idaho / 13 Images. Visited Sep 2001, Jul 2006.

Craters of the Moon National Monument Trip Reports: Sep 2001, Jul 2006.

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