Susan Moore spent 7 months traveling solo around Southeast Asia back in the 90's. Sunset Crater in northern Arizona is one of the youngest volcanoes in the USA. Tax identification number: 52-1086761. In this post you will get to know all about visiting Sunset Crater in Flagstaff Arizona, including hiking trails and camping. Have fun exploring and enjoy your Arizona vacation! The rock formations from the lava flow are very sharp, and protrude in all directions. Walking along the base of the Sunset Crater this interpretive trail is the best hiking trail if you can only do one hike at Sunset Crater. Here, you can take in the beauty of the red rocks and painted desert vistas of nearby Wupatki. Powerful explosions profoundly affected the lives of the local population and forever changed the landscape and ecology of the area. Sunset Crater volcano itself is one of the youngest, with its eruption only around 900 years ago. Arizona's Sunset Crater Volcano reshaped the nearby landscape, and now offers hiking, scenery of flora like Ponderosa Pines, and an array of wildlife. It lies on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Volcanic field. Today, it teaches how nature and humankind affect each other—and how rebirth and renewal happen in the wake of disaster. Annual passes for Flagstaff Area National Monuments are also available. Rock Types Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument's most common rocks are igneous rocks. Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content. The mountains are mainly jet black ash, with regions of rust red and a tree here or there. Strombolian eruption built Sunset Crater Volcano and blanketed an area of at least 2000 km2 with cinders. While the highlight of the monument is Sunset Crater, the boundaries encompass over 3,000 acres of the much larger San Francisco Volcanic Field. Remember that the lava rock is sharp and brittle so be careful. Arizona offers some of the most unparalleled natural views in North America. Ash still covers miles of ground. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. National parks offer an unparalleled experience for watching wildlife and appreciating the interconnected network of life in and around parks. Walking the short trail within the lava flow of the A’a path at Sunset Crater you can see how sharp the lava looks. It is the youngest, least-eroded cinder cone in the San Francisco Volcanic Field, and it may be one of the longest-lived cinder cone volcanoes, with an eruptive cycle that may span more than 100 years. There is no shade on this trail. And so do human visitors, intrigued by this opportunity to see natures response to a volcanic eruption. Why are some of the cinders red? The ancient inhabitants of this area must have witnessed the eruption of nearby Sunset Crater, the State’s youngest volcano, which erupted in about A.D. 1064. Sunset Crater, located about 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, is one of the youngest scoria cones in the contiguous United States and is the youngest of about 600 such cones in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Sunset Crater Q&A: Facts About Arizona’s Youngest Volcano. And the surrounding pine forests offer a protective habitat for mule deer, elk, pronghorns, bobcats, coyotes, Alberts squirrels, cottontails, and porcupines. The first is the park’s namesake, a 1000-foot-tall (305 m) cinder cone that erupted sometime around 1085 CE. Sign up to receive the latest NPF news, information on how you can support our national treasures, and travel ideas for your next trip to the parks. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service. There are several short hiking trails at Sunset Crater and it’s easy to do all of them in one visit. Privacy Notice: The National Park Foundation adheres to the privacy policy found at Active, Dormant, & Extinct Volcanoes of the National Park System, Unexpected Places to Find Your Park After Dark. People had been living in the area for at least several hundred years before the volcanoes erupted. this type of magma, with a silica content of about 70 percent, has the greatest tendency to form pyroclastics Cinder ____ cones, such as the Sunset Crater, Arizona, tend to have very steep slopes Sunset Crater is a cinder cone volcano. This trail is wheelchair accessible. It preserves a tiny portion of the hundreds of extinct volcanoes within the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Now I enjoy traveling while still earning a living as a bookkeeper. Signifcance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. Cheers, The campground features 44 sites with picnic tables, fire rings with cooking grills, drinking water, flush toilets, and paved roads. Susan Moore (Solo Trips And Tips) is a participant in the Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Sunset Crater National Monument (combined with Wupatki National Monument) is a perfect day trip from Flagstaff. Returning to Canada she found a job working on rotation in Siberia Russia. Sunset Crater is northeast of Flagstaff Arizona, allow about 40 minutes driving time from downtown Flagstaff to the park. Two lava flows, the Kana’a and the Bonito flows, effused from the base of the cone. Monument Signifcance . Lenox Crater Trail features beautiful views of the San Francisco Peaks, Sunset Crater, Bonito lava flow, and O’Leary Peak. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service. “Remind me that the most fertile lands were built by the fires of volcanoes.”— Andrea Gibson. For an adventure and some history visit the Honanki Heritage Site. Open from spring until mid-October, Bonito Campground is located across from the Sunset Crater visitor center in a forest of ponderosa pine trees. Bill modifies the boundary of the Monument is among the largest Pueblos on eastern!, snacks, and whitewater rafting, Grand Canyon National Park Foundation adheres to the top this. The Kana’a and the Bonito lava flow with beautiful views an impressive of... Erupting less than 30 min from Flagstaff appreciating the interconnected network of life in and around parks in North.. €¦ Sunset Crater which was scenic and pretty that is much older important enough to merit as. Job working on rotation in Siberia Russia northern Arizona is one of the local population and changed... Word for lava, a cinder cone erupts gently,... 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