ARCO, IDAHO
Craters of the Moon is an enormous lava field, covering about 400 square miles and preserved as a national monument in south central Idaho.
Dad highly recommended that I see it and his recommendation did not disappoint. As you drive along rural Highway 20, the landscape suddenly shifts to a deep black that looks like freshly plowed soil, but in fact is lava rock as far as the eye can see.
When you arrive, be sure to stop at the visitor center to get a permit for the caves. Also, be sure to pack a headlamp to make it easier to maneuver through the cave!
Here is one of the stops as you drive the loop around the park.
I also stopped to hike the Tree Molds Trail, an easy 2 mile out and back walk. Here's a quick snap along the trail. There is something about this photo I just love ... the harsh landscape, the greenery that persists, the tree that did not, and the backdrop of mountains that looks like a painted canvas hanging as a backdrop.
There is something about the end of the trail I did NOT love. Ummm ... where are the tree molds?!?
Fortunately, another hiker came along about then and I asked him what I was missing. Apparently that long indentation to the left of the post is where the lava hardened around a tree. Glad I didn't drive out just for this! :)
But it is *definitely* worth the drive to check out the caves!