Description: San Francisco Peak is the highest of these volcanic mountains, and about it are grouped in an irregular way many volcanic cones, one of which presents some remarkable characteristics. A portion of the cone is of bright reddish cinders, while the adjacent rocks are of black basalt. The contrast in the colors is so great that on viewing the mountain from a distance the red cinders seem to be on fire. From this circumstance the cone has been named Sunset Peak. When distant from it ten or twenty miles it is hard to believe that the effect is produced by contrasting colors, for the peak seems to glow with a light of its own. John Wesley Powell, The Exploration of the Colorado and Its Canyons, 1875

Arizona is home to three national parks, and is also chockablock with national monuments and historic sites. I didn’t realize that 1,800 sq mi of north central Arizona is also covered with volcanic sites, so that nearly every protrusion above the surface between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon is a volcano or volcanic vent. On our final approach to the Grand Canyon, we had time to stop and visit a few sites, and immediately added the Painted Desert on our itinerary, as viewed from the north end of Petrified Forest NP. With time for one more experience before the Canyon, we chose the dramatic geology of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, which had a lot of appeal for the geology fans in our bunch (of which there were several, including me).

Most people think of Powell’s account of his famous 1869 exploration of the Colorado as an adventure tale, taking the crew from their confident put-in on the Green River to the skin-of-their-teeth exit from the Canyon four months later. But before that tale even begins, there’s a 100-page introduction to the southwest, a region that for Powell extends as far north as the geyser basin of Yellowstone. The first of his trips was largely concerned with surviving, but the second had time for a more leisurely expedition of the region, and he noted the area’s profusion of cinder cones. Sunset Crater particularly caught his eye, as it would anyone who was moving through the region with a minimum of time to look around.

The site is west of US 89 on the way north to Cameron, a route to the Canyon that gave us a chance of seeing both Sunset Crater and the ruins at Wupatki, would avoid going through Flagstaff, and (if timed right) would bring us to the Grand Canyon’s rim right at sunset, which we would watch from Desert View just inside the park. The turn off for Sunset Crater is just 12 miles north of I-40, a stretch that gradually climbs to an elevation of about 8,000 feet (easily noted by the signs marking every 500 foot gain). The surroundings correspondingly change from the desert that surrounds I-40 to a more forested, alpine environment, and by the time you’re reach the monument you’re in the middle of large stands of fir trees that are a surprising contrast to the earlier part of your day. Due to that cover, you could easily fail to catch a glimpse of the nearly perfect triangular jet-black cone of Sunset as it pops in and out of the trees as you wind your way back.

That’s not true once you’re in the park, which begins with the visitor center about two miles east of US 89. It’s a small center, with exhibits on volcanism and geology, and we skipped time here to continue into the heart of the monument and a quick hike. It’s no longer possible to hike to the top of the crater, as those trails were closed in 1973 due to the serious erosion that was occurring. A major lava flow is visible to the north of the highway that heads east and skirts the north side of the crater, and the aptly named Lava Flow Trail is a one-mile, self-guided introduction to the area. We opted instead for the Lenox Crater Trail, which packs a lot of altitude change in to its half-mile climb to the top of a cinder cone. The trail heads right up through the forest, and had several of us slowing for a breath along the way, as our lungs realized that we weren’t at sea level any more. At the top, there was a great view to the south over most of the rest of the volcanic field, with the San Francisco Peaks visible. It’s a significant climb that’s billed at 30 minutes. We did it in about 20, but it’s easy to rest along the way if you need to take longer.

I was tempted to head further down the road past the crater, and on to the Loop Road that heads north and then back west to Wupatki NM. By the time we left the Visitor Center, however, it was clear that there we’d be choosing between that tour and sunset at the Grand Canyon, and that choice was easy to make. So, revived by a little bit of exercise, we headed back to the vans for the last 90 minutes of our 1,400 mile drive.
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