Overview

Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve is a national park covered in lava flows. Islands of cinder cones and sagebrush dot the land, and the high desert ecosystem will surprise you with its diversity of plants and animals. In 1923 a geologist recommended the area be preserved as a national monument when he discovered it to have the most recent example of a fissure eruption in America.

Apart from natural beauty and uniqueness, Craters of the Moon has also been the location of a number of historic happenings. In 1805, Lewis and Clark passed through on their way to the Pacific Ocean. A member of that same expedition got separated from his fellow fur trappers almost 30 years later and almost died crossing the Snake River Plain. In 1962, Tim Goodale led 1,905 emigrants with 338 wagons across an Oregon Trail cutoff.

The park services have grown and many studies have been performed here since Lewis and Clark passed through, but the rugged terrain remains much the same. One day, however, the dormant volcanic landscape may begin to erupt again.