On our way through to Oregon, we decided that we needed to hit some of the parks that have never really been on our radar before. We only planned a half-day stop at Craters of the Moon, but it was still worth it. Like most National Parks, the Visitor Center was closed, so we needed to do our research online before we got there and then piece together the rest from the information on the park brochures. We were able to get the kids’ stamps in their National Parks Passports (a must) and gather what we needed to complete the Jr. Ranger program as well.
We did a few short hikes, but we made sure that we got a feel for the place. It was pretty cold and the wind was biting, so we didn’t think we could (or should) convince the kiddos to do much more than that. Being out in this monument is a little bit crazy. It’s like a black ocean of ancient solidified lava flow. Hiking up the Inferno Cone and seeing Spatter Cones left from all the volcanic activity is pretty trippy. This monument is also still on the Oregon Trail, so we had a long conversation with the kids about how crazy it must have been for the early settlers to be traveling along in their covered wagons and then come upon a place like this. With their limited world-view and the fact that they were traveling into the relative unknown anyhow, it must have been beyond description.
This is one of those nice and easy National Monuments to experience. I’m sure it’s a whole other indescribable story if you immerse yourself into the backcountry here, but as a quick day-trip, you can still get a feel for why the place is so special.
