Spatter cones, lava bombs, cinder gardens. Are we in a Star Trek movie?
What crazy alien landscape is this? Did we wake up on a volcanic island in the
Pacific Ocean? Nope. This is Craters of the Moon in central
Idaho. A place right out of science fiction. Even the closest town of Arco
has sci-fi trivia attached to it as the first community in the world ever to be
lit solely by nuclear power. This strange landscape is made up of three young lava
fields ranging in age from two thousand to fifteen thousand years old. Deemed a
national monument in 1924 by Calvin Coolidge, these lava fields are a
can't-miss for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. At first glance this
black rock may look like a desolate wasteland, but craters of the moon is a
fascinating place to explore with plenty to see and do. The park offers you a
number of trails to hike, great camping and RV accommodations, night photography
opportunities, and family spelunking adventures. Whether you have an hour, a
day, or a week to explore this area, Craters of the Moon has something for
you to do and should not be missed on any epic Idaho road trip. Alright the
first stop at a cinder garden on the 7 mile loop road that goes through
Craters of the Moon. Do you know what cinder means by the way? I thought it was wine
in Boise, no? Yeah that's what I thought too. Cinder garden means a garden
amongst the ash and debris that is Craters of the moon. I like the little dwarf
buckwheat that's in there it's pretty cool spotting the dark landscape.
It's beautiful it looks like snowflakes dotting a volcano. It definitely looks
very lunar that's for sure and walking on that stuff is weird. So back in the
70s the astronauts of Apollo 14 including Alan Shepard came to Craters
of the Moon to train for their mission and you can totally tell because this
surface feels like nothing I've ever stepped on before. You actually kind of
feel weightless as if you were walking on the moon. It's crazy to imagine that
thousands of years ago this was all molten lava and these spatter cones spew
lava from the earth. It definitely reminds me of a scene from Lord of the
Rings in Mordor. I'm glad for that breeze because it really feels like a volcanic
landscape right now. This lava can get up to a hundred and fifty six degrees
Fahrenheit. You mean just to touch it? Yep to the touch. Craters of the
Moon has a pretty intricate cave system. This is Indian tunnel, the biggest cave
here. It's about 800 feet long. It's called Indian tunnel because Native
Americans used to use it as shelter and you can feel why. It's about 30 degrees
cooler down here. What's nice about this cave is you don't need a headlamp. These
collapses in the roof have created enough natural light for you and your
family to come down here and have a spelunking adventure. I really do just want to
lay down right here and take a load off. So I figure why not? How often is it you get to lay down
in a lava tube. So obviously Craters of the Moon has
tons of trails to hike, caves to explore, but if you just want to have a quick
look around, you could do this seven mile loop that just cuts all the way through
and all the way around the park. Nice little day trip. Easy drive. And how many
miles do you run in a day? I bet you I could beat the car around this loop. How much?
Last one the camp sets up. Go!
I don't, I really don't see why I have to do this. The bet was last one back to
camp sets up. You were last you set up. Did you
fix me any soup? No it'd probably be cold by the time you were done.
Please subscribe to our channel for weekly adventures in Idaho and beyond. Follow us
on Facebook and Instagram. If you have any travel questions for us we would
love to see them in the comment section and if you haven't watched Epic Idaho
yet make sure you head over to visit Idaho and check it out. Thanks for
watching, and we'll see you next time.