Meteor Crater in Arizona
It is the first verified crash site of a massive meteor – In Arizona, Not far from the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is on my bucket list. Which isn’t very unusual. I would imagine it is on a lot of people’s bucket list. The thing about it is that while I was researching Arizona I realized there are a couple of must-do’s in terms of my astronomy passion. These must do’s include Lowell Observatory and Meteor Crater.
So, during my stay in Arizona I also went to Meteor Crater. And it was worth the stop.
I will show you some pictures and tell you a little bit about my visit to the Meteor Crater. I will also give you some advice if you are going to visit. But the first thing I wanted to say is that I while I was there I got an overwhelming sense of love from the place! What I mean is that the people that own the meteor crater site and the building/musuem there truly love the crater. It shows. The museum is carefully thought out with lots of wonderful and thought provoking displays and activities. I just think it is wonderful to see such caring stewardship of a natural landmark that is well… awe inspiring and a bit profound.
I took this picture from inside the crater. Those aren’t cliff walls. Those are the walls of the crater!
And this picture was taken looking into the crater from an observation deck on the rim.
About the Crater:
It is approximately a mile across and over 500 feet deep. It was formed by the impact of a meteor an estimated 50,000 years ago. The meteor itself disintegrated upon impact but various pieces have been found. I believe the largest of these pieces was around 1500 pounds in weight.
What to expect:
It is just off of route 40 (The famous route 66) about a half hour drive east from Flagstaff Arizona. It is all clearly marked and there is ample parking. You go into the visitor center, pay an entrance fee then you are free to roam around the compound which also includes going to several different observation decks.
There is an amphitheatre that has regular shows and several tour guides that are friendly and helpful. They also have guided walks around the rim of the crater at regular intervals. I didn’t take one of the rim walks. I just roamed around as I liked. It’s a fun few hours and the facilities are modern and well kept. You will enjoy the interactive museum which has lots of displays, presentations and stuff like that.
Oh and if you are a veteran the entrance fee is half price. That was a nice little bonus for me 🙂