Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve: North Crater and Devil’s Orchard (Blog Hike #354)

Trails: North Crater Flow and Devils Orchard Nature Trails

Hike Location: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Geographic Location: southwest of Arco, ID (43.45765, -113.55854)

Length: 0.75 miles

Difficulty: 0/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: July 2011

Overview: A pair of short asphalt trails through the black lava.

Monument Information: http://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=135133
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: The entrance to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is located on US 20/26/93 18 miles west of Arco or 25 miles east of Carey.  Enter the preserve, pass the Visitor Center, and begin the main loop road.  The trails described here are located at stops #2 and #3 on the loop road.

The hike: To early geologists, the black-rock lava fields today protected as Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve looked like the surface of the moon as seen through a telescope, but modern geologists and well-traveled visitors will see more resemblance to Hawaii’s lava fields or Ethiopia’s Great Rift.  Indeed, the geologic plate tectonic movements that form those landscapes today years ago formed this landscape: tectonic plates pulling apart allow molten rock to seep and explode through cracks and holes (volcanoes) in the earth’s crust.  Early white settlers to Idaho chose to avoid this area due to the barren landscape, and Shoshone Indians frequently sought refuge from enemies among the lava formations.

            Since the rock you see today came through the crust less than 2000 years ago, the trails at Craters of the Moon tread some of the youngest rock in the contiguous 48 states.  A Visitor Center contains an interesting film about the monument’s landscape, and a small campground provides accommodations in season.  Most of the rest of the monument is designated wilderness, and no other services can be found in the area.  Make sure you have sufficient fuel, food, and water before making your way to the preserve.

            Visitors can tour the developed part of the preserve on a 7-mile paved loop road.  For those wishing to explore the preserve on foot, several trails depart from various points on the loop road.  The best hiking trails in the preserve start at the trailhead at the very southern tip of the loop near Broken Top.  The 2-mile Tree Molds Trail leads to imprints of lava-charred trees, and the 1.8 mile Broken Top Trail leads around one of the cinder cones that spewed lava 2000 years ago.  Unfortunately, on my visit this part of the loop road was closed for repairs, so I had to settle for hiking some of the preserve’s shorter trails.  This description describes two short paved trails that depart from the first parking areas on the loop road.

View from trailhead at North Crater

            The 0.25-mile North Crater Flow Trail begins at stop #2 on the loop road.  From the signed trailhead, the asphalt trail heads west into the lava.  The black cinder cones uphill to the left are the source of the lava you are walking on now, while the grassy cones straight ahead were the source of older volcanic activity.  Behind the grassy cones stand the high, rounded Pioneer Mountains.  All of these cones form a line called the Great Rift that stands almost 700 feet above the surrounding lava flows.

North Crater

            The last remnant of the previous winter’s snow pack clung to the mountains on my early July visit.  Weatherwise, Craters of the Moon is a land of extremes.  At over 5500 feet in elevation, snow covers the land most of the winter.  However, the black rock radiates the sun’s heat during the long, hot days of summer, and temperatures regularly exceed 120 degrees.  Be sure to come prepared for the season.

The trail curves right and heads for three large chunks of rock.  These large chunks are crater fragments, pieces of the volcanic cone moved here by the lava flow.  You will see three main types of lava flow on this trail: the crater fragments, lumpy lava that cooled quickly, and smoother lava that cooled more slowly.  Interpretive signs help you identify what is what.  At the crater fragments, the trail curves right and heads gently uphill to return to the parking lot and complete the first short trail.

Crater fragments moved volcano by lava flow

            The 0.5-mile Devils Orchard Nature Trail begins at stop #3 on the loop road.  This wheelchair-accessible trail is wider than the North Crater Flow Trail described above.  The nature trail winds its way through the black rock, passing several interpretive signs along the way.

            From a distance the lava flows look barren, but as you continue to walk along the trail, careful looking will reveal that plenty of life manages to eek out a living among the rocks.  Lichens grow on the rocks, and plants such as syringe, bitterroot, and monkeyflower find root in cracks among the rocks.  Sagebrush grows where a little more water and nourishment can be found, and even some stunted slash pines manage to live here.

Syringa flowers growing in rock cracks

Pine trees and sagebrush among rocks

            The trail curves more to the right than to the left as it forms its loop.  Nothing but black rock can be seen to the left, while the Pioneer Mountains can be seen in the distance to the west straight ahead.  In 0.5 miles, the trail returns to the parking area to complete the loop and the hike.