Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

aerial view of the crater

About 15 miles north of Flagstaff there are two National Monuments, connected by a paved 34 mile loop; Sunset Crater and Wuptaki. We took a bit of a detour from our Route 6 route to visit both areas, mainly just driving through Sunset Crater and spending more time at Wuptaki.

The Sunset Crater cinder cone was formed around 1064 AD and erupted intermittently for about 200 years. It is the youngest volcano on the Colorado Plateau. Trails cross through the lava flow, although access is closed to the top of the volcano. You can take virtual field trip by clicking here. 

There is an interesting story behind how this area became protected as a national monument. In 1929 a Hollywood film company wanted to dynamite part of the crater for a movie production of the film Avalanche. The co-founder of the Museum of Northern Arizona was horrified by the idea and petitioned President Hoover to protect it. It was declared a national monument in May, 1930. You can read about and hear the story here.