President Coolidge established Craters of the Moon (CotM) in 1924 to protect the “weird and scenic landscape peculiar to itself.” While there are other places in the world to see lava terrain, CotM is truly unique with cones, caves, and, of course, craters. With trails and overlooks, this park is a great place to visit if you are in southern Idaho and is a highlight of any Idaho itinerary.
CotM is right off US Highway 20/26/93 about 18 miles southwest of Arco, ID. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there from Boise and about 1.5 hours from Twin Falls. The park entrance fee is $20 per vehicle or an “America the Beautiful Pass”, which covers all national parks in the USA for a year (click here). Be sure to check the specific dates that the roads in the park are closed to vehicles. While the park is open every day of the year, typically the loop road is closed December 2 – April 30 each winter season. If you like cross-country skiing or winter camping, Craters of the Moon is a great place to consider.
A major attraction is the “7-mile Loop Road.” There are seven “points of interest” areas highlighted on the park Brochure map beginning with the Visitor Center and ending with the Caves Area. Four of the points of interest are on the loop road and one is accessed from the loop road. We will describe the sights and trails for each of the points of interest below.
#1 – Robert Limbert Visitor Center at Craters of the Moon
The visitor center is right inside the preserve off US Hwy 20. It has good facilities and the usual types of displays and information for a National Park. It’s worth a stop to pick up the activities and events newspaper to find out about range programs and other events. Don’t forget to pick up a free permit for the caves (#7 below). The campground entrance is just past the visitor center.
#2 – North Crater Flow Trail
A half mile past the visitor center on the right is North Flow Crater Trail, a short, paved trail through a lava field. There is also a boardwalk over the flow at some points. This lava flow is a pahoehoe lava flow (see lava flow types. There are other types of flows and lava formations to see within CotM.) From the North Crater Flow Trail you can see not only lava but also the North Cone.
The drive to the next point of interest is worth a little time. There are pull-offs and opportunities to look at the different types of lava formations and vegetation fields. Wildflowers bloom in June at CotM.
#3 – Devil’s Orchard Nature Trail
The third point of interest, Devil’s Orchard, is the next one that you come to as you continue the drive toward the loop road. This area has picnic tables and plenty of parking. The nature trail is only 0.5 miles, paved, and fully accessible. Complete with interpretive and information signs, this path provides views of colorful and interesting rock formations and vegetation.
#4 – Inferno Cone
Next there is the Inferno Cone, a popular area. There is ample parking at the inferno Cone trailhead. From the parking lot, you will see the path to the top of the grey cone stretching up to the 360 degree views of CotM and beyond. To the south, you can see a handful of cones as well as sinks and lava flows and to the southwest, the Spatter Cones and Snow Cone. The Pioneer Mountains are to the northeast and the Snake River Plain. The Teton Range is 100 miles to the east and is sometimes visible on clear days.
#5 – Snow Cone and Spatter Cones
It is a short distance from the Inferno Cones parking lot to the Spatter Cones parking lot. From here a short trail (0.1 mile) winds you up to the Spatter Cone where you can look down into the inactive, small volcano. An even shorter trail takes you to small snow cone where you can look into the vent. These trails will take less than 30 minutes. (The Snow Cone trail is wheelchair accessible.)
From the Spatter Cone Trailhead you can pick up the North Crater Trail (1.75 mile one-way) that loops back down the North Crater Flow Trail parking area. (Don’t confuse the two trails with similar names.) If you don’t want to make the 3.5 mile round-trip, you can take this trail for a half mile to see ‘Big Craters.’ There is an elevation climb of about 700 ft from the Spatter Cones parking area to good views of Big Crater, to the west of the park, and cones and the wilderness area to the south. The North Crater Trail winds its way along the rim of the crater and meanders down toward the North Crater Flow area.
#6 – Tree Molds and Broken Top Area
Next, is the Broken Top Area with the Tree Molds parking lot which is about 1.25 miles off the loop road. There are three trails accessible from this parking lot. The trail head for Tree Molds and Broken Top Loop Trails (each 1.8 Miles) are at the south end of the lot and the Wilderness trail (7.6 miles) cuts off the Broken Top Loop Trail to the right just a tenth of a mile after the start. Permits (free) are required for over-night backpacking trips. (Note that any of the caves in the Wilderness area are often closed to protect bats.)
The Tree Mold Trail ends at a lava formation. The mold was formed when the lava flow incased a living tree.
The Broken Top Loop Trail was our favorite trail in CotM. This trail has a variety of types of lava formations and fiows. It also has great views of the park and surrounding areas. Don’t miss the Big Sink Overlook, just a short jaunt off the main loop trail at about the halfway point.
#7- Caves and Tunnels at Craters of the Moon
The final point of interest area is the Caves Area. While last on the list, this area is not least. There are four caves reached via a 1.6 mile round trip trail. The trail T’s after about half a mile into a path that leads to the right to Inian Tunnel Cave, to the left to Boy Scout Cave and Beauty Cave, and at the junction is the entrance to Dewdrop Cave. Note: a permit to enter the caves is required and can be obtained at the visitor center. (When we were at CotM, Boy Scout Cave was not open.)
The Indian Tunnel was our favorite and has two entrances and easy visibility to the inside of the cave. This cave, like the others at CotM, is a lava tunnel, part of which collapsed in the past. There are stairs to help you get out on the far end of the cave.
The Dewdrop Cave is small and has a small entrance. You might want to skip this one if it is crowded.
Beauty Cave is deep and dark and allows one to get nearly engulfed in complete darkness. The Beauty Cave entrance has boulders to climb over to reach the floor of the cave. You will need a flashlight to explore the back of the cave (a cell phone should do).
Caves are often closed at CotM to protect bat populations. Signs will indicate which are open and the visitor center will have the latest information.
Trails and Other Sights
The following table provides an overview of the trails at Craters of the Moon:
| Trails | Length (miles) | Description and Difficulty |
| North Crater Flow | 0.3 | Easy paved loop trail. Wheelchair accessible. |
| Devil’s Orchard Nature Trail | 0.5 | Easy gravel trail. Loop |
| Inferno Cone | 0.8 | Moderate with a climb to the top of the Cone. In-and-Out. |
| Snow Cone and Splatter Cones | 0.2 | Easy and wheelchair accessible. |
| North Crater Trail | 3.5 (round trip) | Moderate in-and-out trail. Elevation gain 758 ft. From either North Crater Trailhead or Spatter Cones Parking Area |
| Broken Top Loop Trail | 1.8 | Moderate loop with elevation gain: 242 ft (74 m). From Tree Molds Parking |
| Tree Molds Trail | 1.8 | Easy in-and-out trail. From Tree Molds Parking |
| Wilderness Trail | 7.6 | Moderate. In-and-out, remote trail. Check on permit at Visitor Center. |
| Caves Trail | 1.6 | Easy. In-and-out flat to four caves: Dewdrop, Indian Tunnel, Boy Scout, and Beauty. |
More information on the wilderness area and backpacking can be found at the NPS site here.