Ready to add another world record to Idaho’s rap sheet? Stretching over 4,000 square miles, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is an unearthly, apocalyptic landscape of volcanic cones, craters, caverns, and fissures, all strikingly beautiful in their rocky glory, in addition to protected steppe desert. But this eerily beautiful expanse is also home to more than a few surprises, including this one: a plunging crater of undetermined depth, roughly the size of a football field, sitting just outside of the preserve on the King’s Bowl lava field. And it’s rather spectacular.

Yet another one of Idaho's glorious "middle of nowhere" surprises, Craters of the Moon is a treasured--abeit unearthly--moonlike landscape tucked away near Arco.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
Surprisingly vast and like something out of Lord of the Rings, pioneer explorers through the area understandably took the long way around to avoid this basaltic, volcanic landscape.
Craters of the Moon NPS/Facebook
"Miles and miles of ghastly ragged lava rolled away toward the grey expanse of sage. In color it was blue, black, red, like rusty iron, seamed and fissured, caked and broken, a rough-tile surfaced place over which travel was almost impossible." -Zane Grey, Forlorn River, 1926
But take a closer look, and you'll find some incredible beauty here.
Craters of the Moon NPS/Facebook
But Craters of the Moon isn't all volcanic wonders and breathtaking sunsets.
Craters of the Moon NPS/Facebook
Here, you'll find the biggest and most recently active rift system in North America. Nearly 60 miles long, to be exact.
Mark Plummer/Flickr
As recently as 1600 years ago, volcanic fire spewed out of this unique line of cracks and fissures in the earth, forming Craters of the Moon as we know it today. At points, you can see the bottom of the rift while at others, the bottom is unfathomable.

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It looks something like this.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
As Craters of the Moon merges with the King's Bowl lava field outside the central preserve, one massive feature becomes highly visible..
Craters of the Moon NPS/Facebook
Craters of the Moon NPS/Facebook
Namely, a 250-foot long crater gouged into the earth.
Craters of the Moon NPS/Facebook
Here, along the Great Rift line, the earth splits open and plunges down 100 feet or so into a cavernous hole of epic proportions.
In the spring, like much of the Craters of the Moon landscape, this spectacular fissure opening houses its own unique ecosystem.
Craters of the Moon NPS/Facebook
With extreme caution, you can hike partially into this immense portion of Idaho's Great Rift and see its volcanic beauty firsthand.

Can’t make the trip? Watch this aerial video in full-screen mode to get the full experience.

A special thank you to David Ross for capturing and sharing this amazing Idaho feature on YouTube!

What an incredible landscape Idaho has! Have you ever fully explored Craters of the Moon or checked out King’s Bowl? What did you think?

While you’re in the area, you can also see the eerie remnants of Idaho’s most unique underwater city.

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