While visiting in Idaho some time back we visited the Craters of the Moon National Monument in south-central Idaho.

This is an area of lava rock that covers an area of about 618 square miles to a depth of several feet in places.

Normally when we think of volcanic lava we think of a mountain spewing molten lava out the top and the lava running down the sides. That is not what happened here.

Geologists say that starting some 15,000 years ago a giant rift developed in the earth’s crust extending for 53 miles from northwest to southeast across the Snake River Plain.

Lava flowed from this rift and covered the surrounding plains.

Over the next 13,000 years there were as many as 60 eruptions from this and other smaller rifts, the last one occurring about 2,000 years ago.

Some geologists think this area is due for another eruption.

This area is only about 100 miles southwest of Yellowstone Park, where the heat from underground magma keeps the geysers such as Old Faithful active.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge signed a proclamation creating Craters of the Moon National Monument.

Samuel Paisley, the first custodian, built the first visitor center in 1925 and received a salary of $12 per year. There were 4,600 visitors in 1926.

We visited the northern section of the monument, which consisted of about 85 square miles of lava.

We stopped at the visitor’s center to get information and pick up a tour guide.

Here we found out that in the 1960s, when NASA astronauts were looking for an encounter that would somehow prepare them for what they might experience on the moon, one of the places they chose to visit was Craters of the Moon.

This is where NASA astronauts Alan Shepherd, Edgar Mitchell, Eugene Cernan and Joe Engle received some of their training in preparation for their first moon visit.

We opted for the seven-mile drive along the Loop Road. There were also several miles of walking trails in the area. The driving tour took you by several interesting points.

Our first stop was at a marker that gave a short history of the area.

The marker noted a mountain you could see straight ahead when facing the marker. The mountain was 80 miles from where you were standing.

You can see for great distances in the clear air at this altitude.

The early travelers on the northern leg of the Oregon Trail in the 1850s and 1860s used this mountain as a travel marker.

When they drew within sight of this mountain they knew they had to veer to the north to pass by the north side of the lava fields.

“The Devils vomit” is how one traveler on the Oregon Trail described the lava fields here.

As we went on we saw one area that looked like black sand covered with rough black lava rocks.

I walked out into the edge of this lava field to have my picture taken to show the vastness of the lava field.

I did not go very far because the lava rock had sharp edges and could easily cut up a pair of shoes if you weren’t careful where you stepped.

Another area was covered with rolls of lava looking like it had just rolled out of the rift in the earth’s crust.

You would not think any plant life could survive here, but over the centuries dust had blown in over the lava, and the rains had washed it into the cracks and crevices in the lava.

Wildflower and grass seed had blown in and scattered among the crevices and sprouted.

Now and then you will see some small shrubs struggling to grow here. There is not enough rain to support a lot of plant life.

Some formations that reminded me of giant stalagmites jutting up from the ground.

There are more than 25 volcanic cones in the area, including several examples of spatter cones.

We stopped at a parking area near one of these cones, which had a trail going up the side.

The cone appeared to be about 20-25 feet tall. After climbing to the top we found a large crater in the center with a cable around it. The crater appeared to be about 30 to 40 feet deep.

To have time to explore all the monument, including all the walking trails and caves, you need to allow yourself at least two days. We only allowed one day for our visit, so the driving tour was all we took.

The monument now receives about 200,000 visitors each year — quite an increase from the 4,600 visitors in 1926.

No lodging or food services are available in the park. The closest motels and restaurants are located in Arco, 18 miles east of the visitor center.



John Watson is a Cleburne resident who can be reached at texastraveler@sbcglobal.net.