Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

The protected area's features are volcanic and represent one of the best preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States.

It is composed of encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles (1,036 km2) of sagebrush steppe grassland.

The three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world.

The Monument and Preserve contain more than 25 volcanic cones.

All plants and animals that live in and around Craters of the Moon are under great environmental stress due to constant dry winds and heat-absorbing black lavas that tend to quickly sap water from living things.

The Craters of the Moon National Monument was established on May 2, 1924. In November 2000, a presidential proclamation by President Clinton greatly expanded the Monument area.

Location

Snake River Plain
Arco, Butte County
Idaho, USA

Getting There

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is located in central Idaho, about halfway between Boise and Yellowstone National Park. The park is located off US-20, approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Arco, Idaho.

By car: Visitors can reach the park by taking US-20 and turning onto the signed entrance road, which leads to the visitor center.

By plane: The nearest airports to Craters of the Moon National Monument are the Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) and the Boise Airport (BOI), both about two hours' drive from the park. From the airport, visitors can rent a car or arrange for a shuttle service.

There are no public transportation options that directly serve the park, so visitors will need to arrange their own transportation.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Idaho that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.