Craters of the Moon National Monument
/“A vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush.”
We were up early-ish on a cold, gray, raw morning with a stiff breeze blowing. We gassed up in Ely and continued north on US-93. Destination for the Memorial Day weekend: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.
This part of northern Nevada is wide open, flat ranch lands ringed by rugged snow-capped mountains, sometimes referred to as the Nevada Alps. We spotted wild horses and antelope grazing peacefully with cattle. We crossed into Idaho at Jackpot, Nevada… the last or first casino in Nevada depending on your direction. We lost no money, but did lose some time. We lost an hour crossing into the Mountain Time Zone.
Nevada Alps
After a non-descript night in Twin Falls, we continued on to the national monument. The campground had been closed for maintenance and was just reopening. We wanted to arrive early to snag one of the 42 first-come/first-serve campsites available in the Lava Flow Campground. We found a spot immediately and paid our $7.50/night senior campsite rate.
The day was cold, windy and raw. The wind whistled across the black lava rock. We walked to the Visitor Center for a trail map and some info, but the sky looked like rain and curtailed any further activity for the day. The wind, cold temps and rain continued all day with a sneaky sun peeking out once in awhile, but never long enough to warm the day.
Described in the park website as, “a vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush”, Craters of the Moon National Monument was established by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924. “This lunar landscape was thought to resemble that of the Moon and was described as, ‘a weird and scenic landscape peculiar to itself’.”
The park is celebrating its centennial this year.
Our campsite (lucky #13) was set up on a little hill on a paved clearing nestled midst a lava rock outcrop. The site was large enough to accommodate an adequate parking spot for Blanche and a small cement picnic table and charcoal BBQ grill. We were ~200 steps one way from the closest vault toilet (the flush toilets weren’t yet open for the season) and a fresh water pump was conveniently located just in front of our campsite.
A cheeky little ground squirrel was a frequent visitor to the campsite… especially during our mealtimes.
The wind howled throughout our first night, but abated in the morning long enough to cook some oatmeal for breakfast. By mid-morning, the wind picked up again, but we headed off to walk the 3.6 mile (RT) North Crater Trail. Wildflowers were just coming into bloom. Despite the hostile volcanic environment, there was plenty of color along the trail. Though mid-June is considered the peak wildflower season, dwarf monkey flowers and cushion buckwheat, both native plants, were prolific.
We’d rate this trail medium-difficult. There were lots of very steep ups and downs on loose gravel and dirt and an interesting scramble over lava rock at the bottom of the crater.
Our biggest challenge, however, wasn’t the trail at all, but the wind which we estimated at a constant 25mph with gusts to 40mph. As we struggled to cross some of the narrow ridges, the wind was enough to take our breaths away.
Narrow ridges with strong winds were a challenge
During the night, the wind disappeared and Memorial Day dawned bright, sunny, warm and windless. We took a bike ride on the 7.5 mile Crater Loop Road. We stopped at Devil’s Orchard for a 1/2 mile stroll and a shared apple, then rode back to the campground. We determined that ‘lungs and legs’ were currently problematic for us. An altitude of 6000’ and being out of shape definitely had our lungs working hard and our legs complaining.
Next up, camping in Montana, completing the north-south US-93 blue highway and crossing into Canada. Join us.