The youngest volcano in the San Francisco volcanic field, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument offers an intriguing day trip for visitors passing through via I-40 or who live in nearby Arizona cities. Situated just 2 hours from Prescott, 2.5 hours from Phoenix, and a mere 30 minutes outside Flagstaff, it’s easily accessible for many in the area. Sunset Crater Volcano was formed approximately only 950 years ago, a timeframe comparable to infancy in geological terms, with its last eruption occurring around 1075, give or take 25 years. While often regarded as an extinct volcano, in 2015, there was a brief eruption scare when a website with satellite images reported steam rising from the crater. Thankfully, it was quickly determined to be from a forest fire – an obviously concerning event for nearby Flagstaff, but certainly preferable to a volcanic eruption. Despite its volcanic origins, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument now offers visitors a unique landscape, with hiking trails winding through the lava flows and cinder fields.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument has an interesting and somewhat flabbergasting origin story. In 1928, a Hollywood film company called Famous Players-Lasky Corporation planned to detonate large quantities of explosives on the side of Sunset Crater simply to create an avalanche for the motion picture “Avalanche.” The audacity of Hollywood’s greed, particularly in the early to mid-1900s, truly knew no bounds. Fortunately, public outcry over this absurd idea derailed the company’s avalanche plans and ultimately led to President Herbert Hoover declaring the area as Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in 1930. Thus, Sunset Crater was spared from the ravages of Hollywood’s exploitation and has stood as a National Monument for 94 years ever since.
Located at 6082 Sunset Crater Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is easily accessible and straightforward. The small visitors center is an excellent starting point, situated approximately 4 miles off Highway 89 and only about 12 miles from Interstate 40. It offers clean bathrooms, a small selection of souvenirs, and interactive exhibits inside. While the official hours listed on the NPS website are “sunrise to sunset“, the roads and trails are open 24/7, with occasional closures for fire season or winter weather. The visitor center is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. As a National Monument, Sunset Crater accepts all National Park passes.
For those without a pass, the entrance fee is $25 per vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, and $15 per person (for pedestrians or cyclists). Various entrance fees apply for groups, depending on size, and educational or academic groups may enter for free. For more information, please visit https://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm.
There are numerous things to do at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, including camping (only allowed at Bonito Campground, near the visitors center), interpretive programs such as the Amphitheater Ranger Talk or Lava Flow Trail Hike led by a ranger or volunteer (if available), Night Sky Events due to Flagstaff being an International Dark Sky City (the world’s first, in fact ☝🏼), and five hiking trails – Lava Flow Trail, Bonito Vista Trail, A’a Trail, Lava’s Edge Trail, and Lenox Crater Trail (currently closed due to fire damage).
While camping, interpretive programs, and dark sky viewing are all great aspects of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, most visitors come here to hike. As a National Monument, Sunset Crater is smaller, with most trails being relatively short and easy. The most popular trail, the Lava Flow Trail, is an approximately 1-mile loop rated as “easy,” which takes roughly one hour to complete. All hiking photos in this blog are from the Lava Flow Trail. The upper 0.25 miles of the trail are accessible to strollers and wheelchairs due to a paved concrete surface. To get closer to the crater and extend your hike beyond the 0.25-mile paved path, you must branch off onto the dirt trail. There is also a staircase along the way. Adjacent to the Lava Flow Trail is the Bonito Vista Trail, also accessible to strollers and wheelchairs, with a round trip of only 0.3 miles, rated as “easy,” and taking approximately 20 minutes to complete.
The A’a Trail is also rated as “easy,” coming in at around 0.25 miles and taking 15 minutes to complete. However, this trail is not stroller or wheelchair friendly due to its rough, basaltic a’a lava surface. The Lava’s Edge Trail is the only trail that takes considerable time to complete, approximately 2.5 hours for the almost 3.5-mile round trip. It’s rated as “moderate” and offers a more extended, challenging hiking experience. For information purposes, the Lenox Crater Trail, currently closed due to fire damage with no reopening timeframe, traverses 1.6 miles round trip, takes around 1.5 hours, and is rated as “moderately strenuous.”
Exploring Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument marked the end of my family’s recent Southwest road trip. Although we had a very limited timeframe due to needing to get back to Phoenix, we made sure to experience the renowned Lava Flow Trail, which is, as mentioned, the most popular trail within the Monument. Contrary to some online reviews dismissing the trail as “boring” or “not worth it”, we found it excellent. While it’s disappointing that visitors can no longer hike up to the crater’s edge due to it being closed in 1973 after excessive erosion was caused by hikers, we found plenty of enjoyment in admiring the crater from below.
The Lava Flow Trail offered a mesmerizing journey through centuries-old lava formations, showcasing the unique aftermath of volcanic activity. Surrounded by massive, cooled lava structures, we marveled at the surrounding landscape and felt the presence of Sunset Crater looming closer with each step. While some of the trail is paved, most of it consists of a dark, dusty path along volcanic cinder. Despite this, navigating the trail was easy, and our entire family, including my seven-year-old, found it easily manageable. It is important to note that Flagstaff’s high elevation can result in windy conditions, which we experienced towards the end of our hike. While it added a small challenge, it didn’t detract from the overall experience.
Bonus point: From the Lava Flow Trail, you can see Humphreys Peak, the main mountain in Flagstaff and the highest point in Arizona.
Overall, our time at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument may have been brief, but it left a lasting impression, and we all intend to return. We left with a newfound appreciation for this National Monument. Having lived in Arizona for over three years, visiting Sunset Crater had always been on our “someday” list. I’m thrilled that we spontaneously decided to make it our final stop on our four-day Southwest road trip, as it turned out to be a highlight for our family. Despite not being as popular as other Arizona destinations like the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Sedona, Sunset Crater offers a uniquely captivating experience, and we greatly appreciated the lack of crowds. For anyone in the Phoenix, Prescott, or Flagstaff area, or passing through via I-40, I highly recommend stopping at this hidden Arizona gem!
