According to scientists the Sunset Crater Volcano is long extinct, but it’s awe inspiring to imagine the massive eruption which spewed forth from it nearly a millennium ago. The resulting lava flows spread out from two to six miles in every direction, and also created a six mile long fissure in the earth that spread to the southeast of the volcano. The immense power and force of these volcanic eruptions emanating from deep within our planet – and the destruction they leave in their wake – are staggering for the human mind to comprehend. The aftermath of this tremendous seismic event is what the Sunset National Volcano Monument contains for visitors to contemplate today.
To protect this cinder cone volcano from possible outside ravages President Herbert Hoover declared the area as Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in 1930. The area of the monument covers 3,138 acres or about five square miles. Within these boundaries is a tremendous amount of volcanic rock which covered 810 square miles of the landscape, leaving it completely desolated. We can only imagine how terrifying it was for the Sinigua people who had to abandon the area as earthquakes and showers of volcanic ash presaged the coming eruptions for days. Of course, our planet has amazing powers of regeneration, and eventually new signs of life timidly appeared among the seemingly endless acres of hardened lava rock. After many decades wildflowers and the most resilient trees such as pine and junipers created roots that dug into the ground through the cinder rock – to find some life giving nutrients once again.
The available hiking trails are currently rather limited mainly due to the Tunnel Wildfire of 2022 which caused extensive damage throughout the monument grounds. However, the Lava Trail is still open, and while traversing it the visitor gets a close-up view of that giant fissure in the ground mentioned earlier. I found that fissure fascinating to contemplate while standing on the bridge that crosses it. The lava erupting out of it spewed to a height of 850 ft and the intensity of the heat it created in the thousands of degrees is mind-boggling to imagine. Just thinking of this brings a whole new meaning to the term “scorched earth policy” which usually refers to warfare!
However, while hiking to the top of Sunset Crater isn’t allowed at this time, there are other trails that get close enough to it where visitors can still get a great view, and peer into the 300 ft. hidden depth of the crater from the top of the cone. Another important point to keep in mind about Sunset Crater is that it averages around 100,000 or so visitors per year. Walking through it felt relaxed and there wasn’t a sense of being crowded or harried which unfortunately occurs at the better known destinations like the Grand Canyon – which usually hosts upwards of 6,000,000 visitors per year. Sunset Crater is also only 19.6 miles north of Walnut Canyon (from my previous Armchair Travelogues post on 6/27) so it’s entirely possible to visit both in a single day. Both have friendly, informative visitor centers with gift shops as well.
For more information or to plan a visit, go to the National Park 🏞️ Service at: http://www.nps.gov
Also check out: Armchair Travelogues: Special Arizona Places: Walnut Canyon National Monument!
Armchair Travelogues: Special Arizona Places: Montezuma’s Castle 🏰 National Monument!
