Imagine it’s 50,000 years ago and you are standing in the middle of nowhere, minding your own business, when suddenly out of nowhere you are obliterated by a large meteor impacting the earth at 26,000 miles per hour and wiping out your lovely corn field. As your spirit floats gently to another world, you think “Oh well, that’s just my bad luck, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but at least my corn is coming with me”.
Such were my musings as I drove to the Meteor Crater, also called Barringer Crater, between the towns of Winslow and Flagstaff in Arizona, about 90 minutes from the Grand Canyon. I wanted to visit this fascinating natural phenomenon, the best preserved meteor crater in the world, when I found it online while looking for things to do close to the Grand Canyon.
Heading off the old Route 66, now the I-40, heading south along Meteor Crater Road, you will soon arrive at the Visitor Center, found on Google Maps here. There is loads of parking so that will not be a problem. They are open all year round, from 8AM to 5PM, except for Christmas Day.
Your first stop should be the inside of the museum where you will learn about what took place around 50,000 years ago. You will learn that the meteor impacted the earth at 26,000 miles per hour and pretty much vaporized itself upon impact. You will learn about the 700 feet deep crater that was created, and that the crater is 4,000 feet across and 2.4 miles in circumference. Look out for some of the fragments that were recovered during the excavation stage, nicely preserved for display in the museum.
Picture yourself standing in your field all those years ago and seeing this massive rock hurtling towards you. You would have had very little time to react, let alone make an escape. If you were not killed by the initial impact then the shock wave would have taken care of you, as it fanned out, creating a sweeping path of destruction for several miles into the surrounding areas.
As you snap out of this rather unfortunate imagined scenario, head outside to explore the rim of the crater. You will be impressed by the magnitude of the crater and realize just how impressive the impact must have been to dislodge so much earth. Make your way to the viewing platform and find the telescopes aimed at the Winch and Boiler and the Thrust Fault. Also, find the telescope that is aimed at a 6-foot-tall astronaut and large American flag in the center at the bottom of the crater. There are also four other telescopes aimed at the Main Shaft, Drill Hole A, the Tunnel for the Repair of Drill Tools and Raised Strata.
If you are really feeling adventurous, head out on one of the guided tours of the rim of the crater. On the tour your guide will explain the history of the crater, how it was formed, its size and will explain how the crater has been used in recent years, not least of which was as a test site for the Apollo Test Capsule, the remains of which are still visible at the entrance to the Visitors’ Center. I do not believe you can walk all the way around the outside of the crater but I could be wrong.
Head back inside and watch the fascinating 30-minute movie about the history of the crater and how, in 1968, it was designated as a Natural Landmark by the Department of the Interior.
Finally, what visit to any attraction would be complete without popping into the gift shop? Perhaps you will find a lovely t-shirt for grandma or perhaps choose from their selection of gems, minerals, space dust and a vast array of other interesting items that you can only find at the Meteor Center.
If you are visiting the Grand Canyon, take a 90-minute detour and visit the Meteor Crater. It is well worth a day tour. I guess you could spend two to three hours at the Meteor Crater so if you are traveling from the Grand Canyon you should plan to spend at least a half-day for your total round-trip. Otherwise, spend a few days doing the circular route between Las Vegas, Durango, Albuquerque, the Meteor Crater and back to Las Vegas.
Consider one of the accommodation options in Scottsdale, Arizona by clicking in the box below with booking.com or with Agoda here.
Booking.comOur other posts on the United States may be found here.
(Visited in June 2014)