Self-guiding Trails.

Explore three representative areas of the park on self-guiding nature trails. Devils Orchard Trail helps you understand the complex environmental concerns facing Craters of the Moon. A pamphlet available at the trailhead discusses the major impacts visitors, neighbors, and managers have on the fragile lava landscape. Numbered explanations correspond to markers along the trail. You can walk this trail in about 20 minutes. North Crater Flow Trail takes you through a lava flow that includes rafted blocks (crater wall fragments) and other interesting features characteristic of basaltic lava flows, which are explained by wayside exhibits. This trail goes through one of the most recent lava flows in the park. The shiny lava flows made early explorers think the volcanic eruptions had happened only a few years before. Please stay on trails in this very fragile area. The park was established to provide protection for its unusual landscape features. These require continuing protection and you can help provide it. Caves Trail allows you the opportunity to explore a lava tube. These caves formed when the surface of lava flow cooled and hardened while the interior remained molten and continued to drain. After the lava drained away, a hollow tube remained. A pamphlet at the trailhead provides a map of the cave area and tells you what to expect as you explore these lava tubes on your own. Wayside exhibits point out the most interesting lava formations along the trail. To see only Indian Tunnel, the largest of the lava tubes, will require nearly one hour.

Visitors read a wayside exhibit beneath imposing monoliths. Flows of lava rafted such fragments of broken crater walls into otherwise inexplicable positions.

Map

Craters of the Moon National Monument

[High-resolution Version]

Wilderness area Grassy Cone 1925 m 6315 ft Sunset Cone 1954 m 6415 ft Backcountry area Trail Point of interest ① Visitor Center To Arco To Carey Campground ② North Crater Flow Trail North Crater Trail Silent Cone 1838 m 6357 ft. North Crater 1908 m 8244 ft ③ Devils Orchard Nature Trail Paisley Cone 1881 m 6107 ft ④ Inferno Cone 1884 m 6181 ft ⑤ Snow Cone Spatter Cones North Crater Trail ⑥ GREAT RIFT ZONE BIG SINK Broken Top 1846 m 5058 ft Buffalo Cave Half Cone 1845 m 5055 ft Big Cinder Butte 1988 m 5516 ft TREE MOLDS ⑦ Dewdrop Cave Surprise Cave Beauty Cave Boy Scout Cave Indian Tunnel PIONEER MOUNTAINS GREEN DRAGON FLOWS SERRATE FLOW BLUE DRAGON FLOWS BROKEN TOP FLOW LAVA CASCADES BIG CRATERS

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