North Crater Trail - Hike near Visitors Center, Craters of the Moon National Monument
N Crater Trail, Idaho 83213, USA,Visitors Center,Idaho
43.44174882795048, -113.55779485043931
Address: N Crater Trail, Idaho 83213, USA
GPS: 43°26'30.3"N 113°33'28.1"W
Maps | Directions
State: Idaho
Trails/Routes: 1.8 mi

Restrooms Pet Friendly Bicycles Motorized Use

Hike

This one-way trail is especially interesting for its variety. The trail traverses North Crater and drops into the crater mouth, the vent for the North Crater flow. Notice that the northwest flank of North Crater is missing. An eruption tore the wall apart, and a series of flows rafted the fragments away. The trail continues to the rim of Big Craters before descending to the Spatter Cones. No off-trail travel is permitted in the Big Craters area in order to protect fragile lava formations.Courtesy of NPS.gov

More Information

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Be courteous, informed, and prepared. Read trailhead guidelines, stay on the trail, and don't feed the wildlife.

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  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
  2. Travel & camp on durable surfaces
  3. Dispose of waste properly
  4. Leave what you find
  5. Minimize campfire impacts
  6. Respect wildlife
  7. Be considerate of other visitors

Directions

From Visitors Center, Craters of the Moon National Monument

  1. Head east on Loop Rd
    Parts of this road may be closed at certain times or days
    (2.8 mi)
  2. Continue straight (0.1 mi)
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Trails

Distance ?

1.8 miles

Elevation Gain ?

-181 feet

Real Ascent ?

404 feet

Real Descent ?

585 feet

Avg Grade (-1°)

-2%

Grade (-22° to 22°)

-41% to 40%

Elevation differences are scaled for emphasis. While the numbers are accurate, the cut-away shown here is not to scale.

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