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Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument |
Description:
Here, past meets present. Pueblos and cliff dwellings are so well preserved that it's hard to believe their builders moved on 700 years ago. Amid lava and cinders, one can imagine a landscape still hot to the touch. Welcome to the Flagstaff Area National Monuments!
There is something for everyone: prehistoric cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon, the mountain scenery and geology of Sunset Crater Volcano, and the painted desert landscape and masonry pueblos of Wupatki National Monument.
Ancient Indians undoubtedly witnessed the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano in A.D.1064-1065 which blanketed the region with black cinder. Today the volcano's rim of red cinders and the lava flows near the cone seem to have cooled and hardened to a jagged surface only yesterday. Squeeze-ups and hornitos are just two of the fascinating volcanic features you'll encounter while exploring the park. To protect this fragile resource, Sunset Crater Volcano is closed to climbing and hiking. However, other cinder cones in the area may be climbed.
Sunset Crater Volcano is often confused with another nearby attraction, Meteor Crater. At Sunset Crater Volcano you will see a cinder cone rising 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape. Meteor Crater, located 35 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40, is an impact crater measuring over 500 feet deep and 1 mile across.
Designations:
Sunset Crater National Monument (May 26, 1930)
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (1990)
Accessibility:
Accessible restrroms are located at the Visitor Center and the Lava Flow Nature Trail. The Visitor Center and portions of the Lava Flow Nature Trail are also accessible.
Getting Around:
Lava Flow Trail is a 1-mile (1.6km) loop trail with a 1/4 mile (500m) cutoff. It is a self-guided trail exploring a variety of volcanic formations.
Use extreme caution hiking on lava - it is sharp, brittle, and unstable.
The Lenox Crater Trail provides an opportunity to climb a cinder cone. This steep trail is 1-mile (1.6km) round trip and requires about 30 minutes up and 15 minutes down!
Activites:
Camping | Educational Programs | Hiking | And more.
Facilities:
Visitor_Centers | Picnic Areas | Comfort Stations | And more.
Nature: Volcanoes | Caves | And more.
Directions to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Plane:
Nearest airport is located in Flagstaff, AZ.
Car:
From Flagstaff, take U.S 89 noeth for 12 miles (19km), turn right on the Sunset Crater - Wupatki Loop road and continue 2 miles (3km) to the visitor center.
Public Transportation
For additional information on transportation services contact the Flagstaff Visitor Center at 1-800-842-7293
Nearby Parks:
Wupatki National Monument in Arizona
Walnut Canyon National Monument in Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona
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