Photo credit: NPS Photo / Lauren Reid

Step back into time at the landscape of lava flows at Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve.

In Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve allows you to discover a new “weird and scenic” landscape. The landscape is dominated by rocks from relatively recent volcanic eruptions and encompasses the entire Great Rift volcanic rift zone. There are many unique natural features including lava tube caves and tree molds. There are 60 lava flows on the surface of the Craters of the Moon Lava Field, and of those 20 have been dated. The oldest is about 15,000 years old and the youngest is about 2,100. The rugged landscape is home to a surprising diversity of plants and animals in the high desert ecosystem. The plants and animals have adapted to the temperature and moisture stress of living at Craters of the Moon. Some animals such as the Great Basin pocket mouse and yellow pine chipmunk are found nowhere else in the world.

https://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm