We left Sandy, Utah at about 7:15 a.m. on the 24th, pulling our Coleman tent trailer, and arrived at Craters of the Moon National Monument at about Noon. It was an uneventful drive except for the wind, which pushed the Trooper and trailer around some. It was a mostly clear day, with a few white clouds scuttling along. The temps were cool. The whole region has been under the influence of a cold front for about a week.

Neither of us had been to the Monument before, but we had been to Sunset Crater National Monument in Arizona, so had some idea of what we might expect. The area around the Snake River, known geologically as the Snake River Rift, is covered in volcanic lava flows, and dotted with cinder and spatter cones. It is a very rough, dark, exciting area.

There is an entrance fee to the Monument, so we used our Golden Eagle Passport card.

Campground

The campground is across the road from the Visitor Center. The campground fee is $10 per night. There are 51 sites. The campground is small and the sites, for the most part, are small and close together. However, we found site #39 on the far west end was vacant, and it has only one site adjacent to it, on the west side. The other side of the site is a busted up lava field.

There are only two restrooms for the entire camp, and they are both near the entrance to the campground, to the east. So it is quite a walk for any of us from the far end. Each rest room has only two stalls, and in the men's room, one of those is a urinal. So if a number of campers decided to use the facility at the same time there would be a bit of a congestion problem. There are flush toilets and cold running water.

This is the first trip in which we tried out our new solar panel to keep the battery charged. It seems to be working well so far, although we've only used the lights for a short time at night. One of these nights before we go home we'll try the furnace and see if the panel will let us recover from that drain on the battery.

The only problem we've had is that Anne was unable to get the little refrigerator in the trailer to run using propane. I'll have to take a look at that. However, it's operation is not critical to our operation, since we do have an ice chest and the weather has been cool. But we may need it sometime later in the summer.

We also brought along a large container of firewood, only to discover that the campground does not allow wood fires. There is a concern that thoughtless campers (and their seems to be a load of them these days) would not restrict themselves to the wood they've brought along. They might be tempted (as they are in so many other parks and campgrounds) to pull branches from the scattered limber pine and other smaller trees. That is a no-no, especially in this park. There is such little natural vegetation that humans could decimate the entire ecosystem in a single year.

So … the park suggests that campers use charcoal, and, fortunately, they sell it at the Visitor's Center. It was around $5.00 per bag. It wasn't the campfire that we'd hoped for, but it cooked our food. Besides, by the time we were ready to eat in the evening the wind was so strong I wasn't sure a wood fire would have been a good idea, although, there isn't much around here that could burn.

Another note on the campsites. They are not well defined, some of them blend together, and many are small and difficult to get into. Many seem best suited to tent camping, although we see the 35 foot RVs and some of the smaller RVs squeezed into these sites. A variety of tent trailers, like ours, as well. When we got here there were only about five occupied sites. So we had somewhat of a choice. Some of the late arrivals had to take what they could get. It seems that all of the sites in the park are filled on this Memorial Day weekend.

After we set up we visited the Visitor Center and then drove the loop through the park and took most of the short tourist hikes to the various points of interest. We were going to do the Caves Trail, but we changed our mind when we saw the number of people out on the exposed asphalt path.

North Crater Flow Walk

We did the North Crater Flow walk; about .25 miles on an asphalt path. It was fairly level and easy. The hike has signs that describe the volcanic features of the lava flow and surrounding volcanic environment.

Inferno Cone

We hiked up the Inferno Cone, a steep, strenuous .5 mile climb. This trail passes over natural cinder, and can be a little slippery if you don't wear the right kind of footwear. We changed into our hiking boots. I think tennies would make both the climb and descent more difficult. The climb is deceptively longer than it looks, but it's not horrible. Just set a steady pace and keep going. Once on top you've got great views of the surrounding countryside and gain a different perspective of what the lava fields look like.

There are only one or two limber pines on top, but the other vegetation helps to make the area seem a bit park-like, although the ground is all crushed cinder of different shades of gray.

Devil's Orchard Nature Trail

We did the Devil's Orchard Nature Trail, which was a concrete path winding .5 miles through the local environment. Easy. Lots of descriptive signs.

On Saturday morning I woke up about 3:30 a.m. with the need to use the rest room facility. Anne decided to make the trek with me. When I got there I discovered that someone had vomited all around the sole toilet and it was clogged and flooded. I can just imagine the situation in the morning when the whole camp usually heads down for their morning constitutional. Because of the early hour, I used the women's side, while Anne kept watch at the door.

The sun was hitting our trailer this morning at 6:30 a.m. That should help warm up things for the day. We plan on taking some longer hikes.

Critters

So far we've seen striped ground squirrels, chipmunks, ravens, mountain blue birds, and the ashen colored cow birds. I've heard a few others birds, but we've yet to see them.

North Crater Trail

We got out about 9:00 a.m. and drove to the North Crater Trail head. It is near stop number two on the seven mile loop road. The trail head is well marked and there is plenty of parking. We were the only ones going up the trail at that time, but we met a couple and a family on the way back. Otherwise we had the trail to ourselves until we approached the end, near Snow Cone and the Spatter Cones, which are stop number six along the loop road. We saw a large group of tourists who had climbed to an observation point at the end of a paved trail from the parking lot below, about .25 miles.

The trail is typical of this Monument, with loose, finely crushed cinder for a footing most of the way. In other areas the footing is loose cinder and volcanic rock closer to large pebbles and golf ball sized stones. In these areas, especially when they occur on a slope, the trail can be a bit difficult. But most of the trail is firm and easy on the feet.

However, this is probably the most strenuous of the marked trails in the Monument. If you do the round trip hike of 3.5 miles you will travel up and down several times along the length. So all of your various muscles will get a good workout, including your lungs on a couple of the steeper climbs.

The hike is well worth the effort. You get some great views of the volcanic flows from North Crater and you actually pass through the center of the cone, descending down into the heart of the now exposed volcano. The west side of the cone has been blown out and you can easily see how the river of lava poured out into the valley.

Crossing the lava flows can be tricky, but you'll get to see all sorts of volcanic features and some interesting plant life juxtaposed against the harsh surfaces of the lava. For one short stretch you'll cross the lava flow and there are cairns to guide you. Just look ahead a make your way across the rugged surface. This material can be tough on the lugs of your boots, but I can only imagine what it does to the soles of tennis shoes. So I'd go with the boots. They protect your feet, you don't feel all of the sharp protrusions of rock, and they help support your ankles as your walk along.

Tree Molds Area

We hiked the 2 mile round-trip trail to the Tree Molds Area. There is a nice paved parking area with vault toilets. The trail is fairly easy, with only a few slight climbs. It is mostly flat and skirts the lava flows for most of the way. It passed through some brushy areas with a few Limber Pines. There are quite a few dead pines along the way that make interesting natural sculptures.

The tree molds appear to be of two types. One type are vertical cylinders down into the lava where the molten rock flowed around a living tree. The tree was probably consumed in flame, but left the impression of its trunk in the lava. There are several of these.

The other type is where a tree had fallen into the molten rock. Along these horizontal trenches you can make out the impression of where the tree's bark had imprinted itself. In some places you can see where a short branch or knot made an impression. Very cool.

The trail seems to go on for a bit through the sage. We followed it for some ways, but it just seems to head off into a scrubby area. At that point we were getting hungry and turned back. Once again we had the trail to ourselves until the return trip.

Caves Trail

After our morning hikes we ate lunch, took a little nap, then drove back to the Caves Trail parking lot. The Caves Trail is about 2 miles round-trip. The trail guide says that this is a moderate hike, but we would rate it easy because it is paved and there are only slight hills along the way.

All of the caves were closed due to ice and snow, except Indian Cave. We'd carried our flashlights, and were disappointed. But it is a nice, interesting walk out through the lava flows. There was lots of the ropy lava visible, as well as some great bubble and smear patterns in the lava along the trail's edge.

The caves that were closed appear to be more primitive as far as the entrances go, requiring some crawling and scrambling. Indian Cave, on the other hand, has a set of steel stairs that take you most of the way down into the cavern.

Indian Cave is a large, ugly looking cave, compared to, say, Jewel Cave or Wind Cave. But the origins of this cave were fire, where as the other two were formed by water.

The ceiling in Indian Cave, in most areas, is quite high; maybe 30 to 40 feet up. You won't need a flashlight in this cave because there are two or three places where the ceiling has collapsed and plenty of light makes it in. Lichen is growing on many of the surfaces and there is some water dripping at places.

The cave passes along the large chamber to a fall of rock where you have to climb. There was some snow that gave some of the tourists some trouble. Farther on there is another rock fall that leads to the exit, a smallish hole that you have to crawl up through, coming to the surface like a prairie dog. From there you'll follow a series of cairns across the lava flow back to the paved trail.

This is a popular stop on the Loop Trail, so expect a lot of tourists and kids.

There are no dogs allowed on the trails, with or without a leash. But, once again, there was a fellow with his beagle walking along as if it were a stroll in the park. People just don't read the signs. Or, they just don't care, thinking the rules only apply to others.

The rest of the afternoon we spent in camp. We grilled pork steaks over a charcoal fire and cooked up some beans as a side dish. Later we roasted marshmallows for dessert.

The sky was sunny most of the day, with a few clouds and strong winds coming in during the afternoon. For a while the clouds threatened rain, but that front moved around to the north of us. By late afternoon and evening the temps had dropped again, but it wasn't quite as cold as it was on Friday.

This morning, at 7:50 a.m., the sky is clouded over with a solid gray layer. The clouds don't look threatening as far as rain goes, and there isn't much of a breeze, but the sun should be shining right now, to warm things up. In the trailers it is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I can see the glow, way up in the sky, where the sun is hiding, but it's not doing us any good. We plan more hiking today, unless it rains first. We've already had a few sprinkles.

Wilderness Trail / Broken Top / Buffalo Caves Loop

We hiked the 10 mile round-trip Wilderness Trail. The trailhead is a few yards back down the paved road near the Tree Molds Area parking lot. The Park Service is evidently adding an asphalt path to the side of the road for easier access to the trailhead. At this time you'll have to walk on the road itself.

At the trailhead there is a sign marked Wilderness Trail, but the trail goes down in one direction and up in another. It seems that the Park Service must be preparing this area as a new nature trail, because there are numbered markers along the route, and on a poster on the bulletin board in the campground they refer to the two mile Broken Top/Buffalo Caves Loop.

If you follow the trail marker numbers in sequence you will take the "high road" first, to the left of the trailhead sign. It's a good, steep climb at first, but levels off quickly, and passes through a nicely wooded area, then gradually begins down again as the trail heads south. As the trail reaches the lower elevation of a slight valley you'll encounter another of the numbered markers, to your left. If you look closely you'll see a cairn made up of lava chunks and an old weathered post. If you look out across the lava flow you'll see several more cairns. This is the route you'll take to complete the loop and return to the trailhead.

But on this hike we wanted to go a bit farther. We continued down the well defined trial through the crushed cinders. This trial is marked as moderate and we would class it as easy to moderate. There are a few slopes, but nothing really steep. Most of the route is made up of crushed cinder that is easy to walk on, and is fairly level. There are a few areas where you'll have to make your way through low sage, but the route can be easily detected.

As you hike along you'll pass over some low hills between Big Cinder Butte (south west) and Half Cone (north east) and then walk across the Trench Mortar Flat. At about the two mile mark you'll see a marker indicating "Lava Tree." A short side trail leads to a scattering of tree molds, similar to those found down the Tree Mold Area trail, although we were unable to locate any of the bark molds that can be found along the other trail.

There are several large casts, with side branches and evidence of roots. The lava surrounding the mold, where the tree had been, seems to be charred and blackened, looking much like the charcoal of a burned tree. My guess is that this was caused by the molten lava coming into contact with the burning tree and actually absorbing its outer layers, melding the carbon of the tree with the outer layer of lava. But this is just by guess.

From here the trail continues to the southeast across the flats until it begins a gradual climb up between the low hills between Coyote Butte to the southwest and Crescent Butte to the northeast. This area becomes a bit more rocky and you'll see a few more trees. Ahead, to the south, you'll see Echo Crater. You'll pass to the west of this crater and pass into an area that has been burned recently. The charred trees and vegetation, on top of the volcanic remains, really makes this an eerie walk. It really looks devastated, if that is any more possible along these cinder trails and lava flows.

Eventually the trail fades as you find yourself heading toward The Sentinel, a series of smaller crater remnants and outcrops. You can keep on going to climb the peaks, or turn back at this point. We chose to turn back.

There was one family on the trail as we hiked along, otherwise we had the area to ourselves.

On the return trip we cut off at the cairns and hiked across the flows to a new trail near Buffalo Caves. The "caves" are mostly large openings where the lava has collapsed upon earlier caverns. It might be possible to enter these openings if you are into crawling and exploring that way. The caves may open to a larger size once you are down inside. We passed. By this point in the hike the balls of my feet were burning from the steady walking, and so we went on, fearing blisters. As it turned out, they were not blistered, much to my relief.

In a short ways you'll be back at the trailhead.

The rest of the day we sat around camp, snoozing and reading and putting away anything unnecessary, to make packing up and heading home on Monday that much easier.