This is a gbintheworld's
EXTRA-page.
SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO
National Monument
Location: just a few miles northeast of Flagstaff, off US-89 (on the
southern end of a loop to the Wupatki National Monument and back to US-89)
Distance: 155 miles from Phoenix
Opening hours: visitor center is open daily year-round (closed Dec. 25)
Fees: park entrance fee (covers also the nearby Wupatki NM)
Direction: from Phoenix use I-17 north to Flagstaff, then I-40 east
to exit towards US-89/Page, go north on US-89 for about 10 miles, go right
at the sign, follow the road to the entrance.
Sunset Crater Volcano. This National Monument became part of the
National Park System in 1930. The prominent features are a 1,000 foot volcanic
cone (peak elev. 8,029 feet, depth of crater 300 feet)
and its lava flows.
The history and geology. Erupting in the winter of 1064-65, Sunset Crater
is the most recent in a 6-million-year history of volcanic activity in the
Flagstaff area (northern Arizona). A reminder of the powerful forces that have created more
than 600 hills and mountains in the San Francisco volcanic field and
have affected the climate. Periodic eruptions continued over 200 years and wind
carried ash which covered over 800 square miles of northern Arizona.
In a final burst of activity, around 1250, red and yellow oxidized cinders
shot out of the vent and fell onto the rim. The colorful glow from these cinders
reminded people of a sunset and let to the volcano's name.
Cinder cones, such as the Sunset Crater,
are formed during early explosive stages of an eruption. Magma, a mixture
of molten rock and highly compressed gases, rises upward from its
underground source. As the magma ascends, the extreme pressure drops and
gases are released. The high percentage of gas in the magma causes an
explosion out of the central vent, creating a mound or cone. Magma with a
lower gas content produces lava flows that may issue from the side or
base of the cone.
The visit. It can take you from 0.5 to 2 hours - depending if you just
drive to the parking area close to the volcano or also stop at the very
interesting visitor center and walk the trails (if you drive the 36-mile loop
and visit the amazing Wupatki National Monument it can take you up to 4 hours).
I recommend to take the chance to see all of it. The Sunset Crater Volcano
Visitor Center, located just past the southern entrance on your right,
provides information, a film, exhibits, bookshop and an seismograph station (!)
which shows you in real time the seismographic activity in this region.
From there you drive into the park. Your first stop could be the Bonito Flow
pullout from which you could hike up the Lenox Crater, peak elev. 7,240 feet
(infos at the visitor center).
Next stop is the parking area at the trail head at the bottom of the
Sunset Crater Volcano. There is a short paved trail (0.25 mile loop,
wheelchair accessable) and a longer gravel trail (1 mile). Don't forget to take
(borrow or pay a small fee) the very useful Lava Flow Trail Guide booklet
at the trailhead. Please stay on the trails (the Sunset Crater Volcano is closed to
climbing and hiking) and follow the numbers/markers along the trail with the infos
in the trail guide. You will enjoy the short and educating walk over lava -
back to the youngest time of forming the landscape of northern Arizona.
From the parking area you can follow the loop by car to the Cinder Hills Overlook,
the Painted Desert Vista (near the Kana-a Lava Flow) and farther to the
Wupatki National Monument and the northern entrance of the 36-mile loop,
or drive back to the southern entrance.
Camping. Bonito Campground near Sunset Crater is operated by the
U.S. Forest Service and open during the warmer months. There is running water
and restrooms, but no showers or trailer hookups. For more camping infos write:
Coconino National Forest, Peaks Ranger Station, 5010 N Highway 89, Flagstaff,
AZ, 86004.
Source: my visit at the National Park and the trail guide.
All photos: © by gbintheworld.com
Other sights nearby are
Wupatki NM,
Walnut Canyon NM, Meteor Crater.
Links to websites and infos about the
Sunset Crater Volcano and Flagstaff (links open in a new window):
Sunset Crater Volcano official website of the National Park Service
E
Flagstaff official website of the City of Flagstaff
E
Website Orientation:
> Home/Welcome
> EXTRA!!! my magazine
> Trips & Hiking
> Trips and Sightseeing, Northern Arizona
> Sunset Crater Volcano (= you are here)
[Welcome]
[USA Austria]
[EXTRA - my magazine]
[Webcam Links]
[Link Collection]
[About me]
[Photo Collection]
[Downloads]
[Disclaimer]
[Sitemap]
[Guestbook]
[Email]
If you didn't get to this page through the mainpage ('choose a language')
of gbintheworld.com
then please click here!!!
© gbintheworld (2002)