Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater, or Barringer Crater, is a meteorite impact crater about 60 km east of Flagstaff and 29 km west of Winslow in the desert of northern Arizona, United States. The site had several earlier names, and fragments of the meteorite are officially called the Canyon Diablo Meteorite, after the adjacent Cañon Diablo. Because the United States Board on Geographic Names recognizes names of natural features derived from the nearest post office, the feature acquired the name of "Meteor Crater" from the nearby post office named Meteor.

Located 2 hours and 45 minutes from Phoenix lies a massive round depression in the ground. The depression is almost a mile across and over 500 feet deep and is known as Meteor Crater, the site where a large meteorite crashed into Earth approximately 50,000 years ago. Today, Meteor Crater attracts visitors from all over the world. The on-site discovery center contains 24 interactive exhibits that give information about stars, planets, and meteors. There are also a gift shop and rock shop on the premises.

Guests can take a guided tour of the crater rim and can stay until dark for excellent star gazing. Since the crater's formation, the rim is thought to have lost 50–65 ft (15–20 m) of height at the rim crest as a result of natural erosion. Similarly, the basin of the crater is thought to have roughly 100 ft (30 m) of additional postimpact sedimentation from lake sediments and alluvium. Learn all about meteorites and their impact on Earth at the accompanying space museum. Complete with an RV park you could even spend the night staring into the expanse that contributed to this landmark so long ago.

Distance from Phoenix: 187 miles
Travel time: 2 hours 45 min

Location: Coconino County, Arizona, United States

Tripadvisor Rating: 5/5