Craters of the Moon National Monument
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. national monument and national preserve in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho. The protected area’s features are volcanic and represent one of the best-preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States.
The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles of sagebrush steppe grasslands to cover a total area of 1,117 square miles. The Monument alone covers 343,000 acres. All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world, including the deepest known on Earth at 800 feet. There are excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava, as well as tree molds (cavities left by lava-incinerated trees), lava tubes (a type of cave), and many other volcanic features.
Where it is:
Craters of the Moon is in south-central Idaho, midway between Boise and Yellowstone National Park. The lava field reaches southeastward from the Pioneer Mountains. Combined U.S. Highway 20–26–93 cuts through the northwestern part of the monument and provides access to it. However, the rugged landscape of the monument itself remains remote and undeveloped, with only one paved road across the northern end.
Craters of the Moon’s visitor center is located 18 miles southwest of Arco, Idaho on U.S. Highway 20/26/93. It is 24 miles northeast of Carey, Idaho on U.S. Highway 20/26/93. The physical address is 1266 Craters Loop Road.
Maps:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.
GPS:
Latitude: 43° 27.711’N
Longitude: 113° 33.791’W
Cost:
Standard Entrance Fees
The following 7 day passes apply to private, non-commercial vehicles. The fee covers the driver and any passengers.
Vehicle $20
Motorcycle $15
Walk in/ Bicycle $10 (15 and under free)
National Park passes are accepted
Whenever the Loop Road is not fully open to automobile travel, there is a Fee Free day! Depending on weather, this occurs roughly from November through April.
Hours:
The Monument and Preserve is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. Winter snows usually prevent automobile access around the Loop Road from mid-November through mid-April.
Visitor Center Hours
Winter Hours (December through February): 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
Closed on the following federal winter holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & New Years Day with an early closure on December 31 at 1:30 p.m
Summer, Spring, and Fall Hours (March through November): 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
Facilities:
There is no lodging available in the park. The nearest lodging and other services are available in Arco, 18 miles east of the visitor center.
Aside from vending machines in the visitor center, there is no food service available in the park. Picnic tables are available on the east side of the visitor center and at various locations around the Loop Road.
The nearest restaurants are located in the town of Arco.
A campground with
42 sites are available on a first come-first served basis; no reservations are accepted.
Location Contact Information:
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
National Park Service
P.O. Box 29
Arco, ID 83213
Physical Address
Craters of the Moon National Monument
1266 Craters Loop Road
(18 miles west of Arco on U.S. Highway 20/26/93)
By Phone
Visitor Information
(208) 527-1335
Headquarters
(208) 527-1300
By Fax
208-527-3073
Craters of the Moon National Monument Photo Gallery
Click Here for full page gallery
More Photographic Destinations in Idaho:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.
Click Here for Photographic Destinations by State
Great Places for Great Photos
Let me help you to find a great location for your next photography adventure. I will list many lesser-known destinations, as well as the famous "Icon Locations" for photography. I will provide photos (Lots of Photos), location information, consisting of what there is to photograph as well as other information about the destination. I will give costs, maps, directions, contact information, and other essential information for a successful photo trip. I will only post for locations that I have personally photographed to ensure a quality guide to great locations for photography. If you know of great places that are not posted, please send me the details, I may just decide that is a place I need to go!
Greg Disch is a freelance photographer located in Arkansas. Greg specializes in nature, scenic, wildlife, and other outdoor subjects in Arkansas and other areas of the country. Most of the images on this site are available for sale as prints, personal use, or rights managed stock photos.
Greg offers both classroom instruction and in the field hands on photographic workshops. Classroom sessions are normally held in Fort Smith Arkansas, but arrangements can be made to bring a class to your group.
All classes and workshops have small class sizes designed to provide an optimum student to instructor ratio, where you can get the personal attention, you need. Most classes and workshops are limited to a maximum of six participants and will be held with a minimum of only two.
If you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to get personal individual instruction, I do private workshops and classes at a location of your choice, whether doing a location photo shoot, coming to your home or business, traveling across the country on a road trip, or at my classroom. This is a fantastic way to learn digital workflow and be sure that your computer equipment is properly configured for optimum performance.
Leave a Reply