What to Expect
🌋 Otherworldly Lava Fields
Walk across enormous expanses of dark volcanic rock that look more like the surface of another planet than southern Idaho.
🚗 Scenic Loop Road
Drive through the heart of the volcanic landscape with stops providing access to overlooks, trails, craters, and other fascinating formations.
🥾 Walk on a Volcano
Choose from several trails that take you directly across lava flows and up volcanic features for an up-close look at the forces that created this landscape.
⛰️ Cinder Cones & Craters
Explore cinder cones, spatter cones, craters, and other volcanic formations scattered throughout the monument.
🔦 Lava Tube Caves
When conditions allow, grab a free cave permit and venture underground to explore lava tubes created by ancient volcanic flows.
📸 Scenery Unlike Anywhere Else
The stark contrast of black lava, distant mountains, and vegetation growing through the volcanic terrain creates some incredible photo opportunities.
Our Experience - Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve
Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve is easily one of the most unusual landscapes we've encountered on a road trip. Mile after mile of black lava rock, cinder cones, craters, and twisted volcanic formations stretch across the Idaho landscape, creating scenery that genuinely feels like it belongs on another planet.
One of the best ways to experience the monument is by following the scenic Loop Road and stopping to explore along the way. Short trails lead directly into the lava fields and toward different volcanic features, allowing you to do much more than simply admire the landscape through the windshield. You can walk across hardened lava, climb volcanic cones, and see firsthand just how dramatically this series of eruptions transformed the surrounding landscape.
If you're looking for more adventure, Craters of the Moon also contains lava tube caves that can be explored when conditions permit. A free cave permit is required, and the caves are undeveloped, making sturdy footwear and a good flashlight important. Even if you stay above ground, though, there's more than enough to make this one of Idaho's most memorable stops.
What stuck with us most was simply how otherworldly the entire place feels. You're driving through the open landscapes of Idaho and suddenly find yourself surrounded by an enormous sea of lava. Craters of the Moon is strange, beautiful, and unlike almost anywhere else we've visited — exactly the kind of place that makes a road trip through Idaho so much fun.
Photo Gallery
