sunset crater volcano national monument

Easy access and you need to include this historic attraction along with others in the area. Fee is $5 per person but that gives you access to all 3

It's a free HOV Area so you can just pick a spot and go camping with any kind of camping u love from from huge RV to a one person tent !! Bring all the toys !!! Four wheelers three Wheeler anything u can ride !!! It's a blast

Went on a whim on the way out of flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. What a great national park the Rangers at the visitor center were super awesome with my 4-6 year olds. Gave them activities to earn their junior ranger park badges. They loved them. Wore them proudly on hikes through the lava fields. The ruins further back in the park were amazing as well with awesome views of the painted desert.

On our trip to Northern Arizona, we stayed the first half in Sedona. From there we headed to Page. Of course, the point of the trip was to see the sites. On our way from Sedona, we drove to the Sunset Crater Volcanic National Monument. The lava rocks were magnificent. We took a hike around the crater. It was a beautiful day, the weather was great. We were able to take a lot of pictures. A definite stop on the trip.

The black lava flow on the ground, with old twisted trees jutting from the earth make for a surreal landscape, and a photographer's dream. A few easy hikes. While you are here, continue the loop east and visit the Wupatki National Monument ruins. A perfect day of beautiful scenery, and fascinating history. One of my favorite places near Flagstaff!

I'm a National Parks geek, on a mission to see every one of them, so when I visited Flagstaff I had to check this out. Sunset Crater is a remarkable, stark, gorgeous landscape - I had no idea what to expect, and was greatly rewarded. Get out and walk the trails to see it from different angles and experience the lava rock from the ground. Highly recommended.

Drive to the monument is long, but quite interesting. The crater is worth seeing and the history is worthwhile. I would not miss it if I was in this area.

A really fantastic location with such unusual beauty. We took the Lava Flow trail which is only about a mile long so a good option if timing does not allow a whole day in the park. Admission price includes admission to the attached park: Wupatki National Monument.

John Wesley Powell named the cinder cone that dominates this monument for the colorful [sulfur] minerals found on top; they reminded him of sunsets. Those minerals are long gone, but the cone and its associated multiple lava flows began erupting about 1065 A.D., and have continued intermittently for three more centuries after that. Quiet now, the eruption of Sunset Crater devastated the ancient Anasazi [Native American] people who lived in the area; the Hopi peoples now trace their move away from this area to this series of events1,000 years ago. The area downwind is now the Wupatki National Monument; the same cinders that rained devastation nearby provided a nice blanket of mulch in the Wupatki area, and that area became an agricultural center for three centuries ... until a prolonged drouth forced the ancestral Hopis to move to the high mesas to the northeast, where they continue to live today. Both Sunset Crater and Wupatki are on an about 30-mile loop drive; together they make a interesting story of survival from devastation, followed by a "land rush" to Wupatki, followed three centuries later by abandonment due to a prolonged drouth ... something the southwest USA is now experiencing again.

We went back again.I have been to Sunset Crater many time and enjoyed the short hike through the lava trail. This is a very unique landscape in the high desert(no cactus here). Keep in mind that you are at 8,000 feet so the winter months will be cold. Like a trip back in time I have been fortunate to visit there with very few visitors and enjoy it to the fullest.

Unbelievable. Saw the most lava I have ever seen. It adjoins Wupatki National Monument. Both Monuments are worth seeing. Sunset Crater erupted between 1040 and 1100 and is so named because of the red and yellow oxidized cinders that fell onto the rim. Stop at both visitor's centers.

This site was interesting and worth the visit - nothing super exciting but we are glad we went. Do this and the Indian ruins in the same day - makes a nice loop.

I love our national parks and national monuments and this is a must see. Combine this monument with Wupatki. They are on the same circular road. There are several lava trails ranging from 1/4 mile up to 3 miles. The lava is very sharp. If you are not into walking, there are lookouts and pullouts as well. I recommend about 2 hours if you are walking trails, but if you are just driving through, less than 1 hour.

So pretty, breath taking views and peaceful. It was cold and snow on the ground. But worth freezing a bit for. The Rangers were very nice and helpful on how to get the most out of our little time there. But be careful not to fall, you will bleed. Watch children as there are hills to fall down. Stay on the paths because you could get a little lost. But remember your camera!

I'm not a huge geology buff, but I wanted to check out this special area of AZ! When we drove up, I expected to see an actual crater in the ground -- my mistake! A very cool site if you're interested in volcanic & geologic history, etc.