Exploring Craters of the Moon: What It’s Like to Hike North Crater Trail
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
As we logged miles traveling through Idaho for the first time, endless rows of crops blurring past our windows as we drove, we specifically charted a route that would lead us to a new destination to explore. Even admist a sky of wildfire smoke, we were excited to finaly arrive at our hiking location for the day at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.
A place celebrated for its raw, otherworldly terrain, Craters of the Moon is an untamed wilderness of jagged cinder cones and volcanic expanse located on the Great Rift volcanic rift zone, a 53-mile-long system of deep cracks and fissures in southern Idaho that is considered to be the largest, deepest, and most recent volcanic rift system in the continental United States.
From meeting Bob, the Pika Astronaut and the park's unofficial mascot, to feeling the actual thermal warmth rising off the ancient lava flows, this first visit to Craters of the Moon felt like stepping into an isolated realm.
But before hitting the trail, came the traditional stop at the visitor's center to explore the museum and stock up on park merch. After taking in the educational exhibits and learning about the history of the volcanic eruptions and the various lava formations that are found throughout the landscape, we headed to the scenic drive to make our way to the North Crater Trail.
Making Craters of the Moon Accessible with Bob
As if this destination isn’t unique enough, before even leaving the visitor center I was already a fan of the location’s personality once I learned about Bob, a pika dressed in an astronaut suit with an important mission. Bob was designed by artist Abigail Jones and was developed as the mascot for a university-based research initiative focused on improving audio description processes and products that enhance accessibility at the park as part of the UniDescription Project. Now, his presence is a symbol and his merch is an ongoing fundraiser for continued accessibility projects at Craters of the Moon.
The landscape at Craters of the Moon felt like a stark contrast to that which we had previously driven through. The abundant rows of green corn fields were long gone and now we were looking out over a horizon that, at first look can initially feel like a barren and unimpressive setting. Once your eyes settle on the details however, the ground and unique features of the surrounding rock formations are incredible, especially once you learn that the entirety of the landscape was formed from eight basalt eruptions that took place between 15,000 and 2,000 years ago. Produced by magma forming and rising from the Earth’s mantle, unlike the famously known volcanoes that explode into the sky, basaltic volcanoes flood out through vents and fissures created in volcanic rift zones where the Earth’s surface has been stretched out. The remnants of these eruptions is a dark colored, iron-rich lava rock that covers most of the ground at Craters of the Moon. If it weren’t for the trees and flowers able to find their way through the lava surface the dark rocky surface has the ability to create an appearance of a burnt landscape. Along with trees and brush, small white bunches of Craters of the Moon Buckwheat and vibrant yellow blooms of Southern Blazingstar create a drastic contrast against the dark ground.
As we began our hike along the North Crater Trail, the most incredible experience was the instant heat radiating off the ground. As we hiked, the sun’s heat shining down from above us felt like nothing in comparison to the heat we were feeling radiating upward. The basalt lava rock is not only dark but absorbs and radiates heat from its surface. In fact, during the summertime, when the air temperature can reach over 90-degrees Fahrenheit, the lack of rainfall and the porosity of the rock can remove all presence of water, allowing the surface of the lava rock to reach well over 150-degrees at times.
As heat radiated off the dark volcanic rock warming the soles of our shoes, lower legs and the underside of our arms, for the next almost two hours, we hiked amongst the vast lava formations, traversing the landscape and being in amazement of the lands’ features. It was fascinating seeing the various lava formations of coils, broken rubble, glassy surfaces and tree burn. When looked at closely, many of the rocks also reflected a kaleidoscope of colors in an almost holographic appearance when rotated around in the light.
As we hiked across a large black basalt field, I relished in knowing that our footsteps were not just in places of previous volcanic activity, but were also likely crossing the same path as Apollo astronauts. Due to the idea that the moon’s surface contains similar volcanic rock as at Craters of the Moon, in 1969, NASA sent these astronauts to the area to study its geology and train for their lunar mission before heading to space. This was not an isolated study. Because of its unique landscape, Craters of the Moon continues to be a visited venue for space research. In fact, most recently, NASA scientists used the lava-filled landscape as a stand-in for Mars to test remote sensing, communication methods and other scientific research. Walking around this landscape it's not as crazy of an idea to believe but it is no doubt thrilling to think about.
Making the journey up and around North Crater and along the craters' edge along the trail the horizon of lava flow extended as far as we could see, and even through there was looming wildfire smoke, that distance was still impressive. As we continued along the trail and approached the rim of Big Craters, the smoke from the nearby wildfires began to settle thicker into the air, and grew more dense toward the end of the trail. This smokey filter, gave the entire park an eerie, otherworldly glow, and also gave our lungs reason to call the hike complete for the day and head back toward the trailhead.
This was my very first time visiting Craters of the Moon, and even the state of Idaho itself. Even as a short visit with limited visibility, this planned detour between our two major destinations for the day, left quite an impression.
It may not have been the magnificent desolation Buzz Aldrin was referencing, but it is in its own way a gem, and for certain it is Idaho’s magnificent desolation. Ultimately, this short trip did exactly what any great maiden voyage should do, it made me instantly start thinking about a return trip to explore the caves, hike through more lava fields and maybe even come back to set up camp under the stars.
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