We’ve been to Sunset Crater National Monument twice. There’s a campground here but I recommend boondocking in the area. There are plenty of pretty places to pull in for a night or two. In addition to the crater, with an elevation at 12,633 ft, there are great views of San Francisco Peaks (which are not in San Francisco, but visible from Flagstaff, Arizona).
The hike around Sunset Crater is moderate in length. Some portions are even paved. The posted signs in the area are informative, but there was also a volunteer on site answering questions about the area when we were there.
Here are some fun facts about this volcano:
- The volcano erupted sometime between 1040 and 1100 A.D.
- The diameter of the crater’s base is 1000 ft and its elevation at the summit is just over 8000 ft.
- The eruption covered more than 800 square miles.
- About 1 billion tons of material (with a capital “B”) was extruded from Sunset Crater Volcano.
- Geologists estimate that the lava fountain from Sunset Crater Volcano was nearly 1000 ft high and that an ash cloud likely rose more than 2.5 miles into the sky which likely would have been visible from not only present-day Arizona, but also New Mexico and parts of Utah!
So yeah…its eruption was a big deal and a great little daytrip!
Sunset Crater
San Francisco Peaks
