Sunset Crater National Monument

One needn't travel to Alaska, Hawaii, or the Pacific Northwest to find a real, live volcano. Sunset Crater is located just north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Although its last eruption was almost a thousand years ago, and it's unlikely to erupt again, its effects, both on the people who lived here then and since, and on the stark, deceptive landscape, make the Sunset Crater National Monument a must-see stop on any visit to the Southwest.

Camping at Sunset Crater

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 7/14/2017		Page Views: 1027
Topics: #Arizona #Places #SunsetCraterNationalMonument #USA
All the photos from my first summer visit to Sunset Crater National Monument.

With Keith's and my wedding date approaching at a terrifying rate, we decided to select a venue in or near Flagstaff, a compromise location between Keith's family in Shiprock, New Mexico, and mine in Chandler and Mesa, Arizona. To facilitate finding this place, we decided to camp for a couple of nights in the vicinity; and the place I suggested was a campground on National Forest land just outside the gate to Sunset Crater National Monument. And, lo and behold, that turned out to be the perfect location.

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Sunset Crater in Winter

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 1/15/2005		Page Views: 1035
Topics: #Arizona #Flagstaff #Places #SunsetCrater
The contrast of the black lava and soot against the pure white, glistening snow is sheer heaven.

We had intended to ski today—but so did everyone else in Arizona! So we made reservations for tomorrow, and decided to spend today doing a winter hike through nearby SunSet Crater. Present were: Michael and myself, our grandson Zach, Zach's grandmother, Mary, and our daughter, Karen. And our rental motor home.

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