Have you been to Craters of the Moon National Monument? We had a great time exploring this incredibly unique place with @wanderlustinreallife 💙 This fascinating place was created from lava eruptions over the past 15,000 years. When driving to the park, Idaho farmland suddenly seems to change to an expansive area of lava rocks (the area covers over 1,000 square miles). While the area is huge, the area open for public day use is relatively small and you can see a lot in a day. ⚠️ Be sure do your part in protecting this incredible place if you visit: - Stay on the trail to protect fragile lava formations. - Follow the rules for exploring caves and prevent the spread of disease. - Always leave no trace when exploring the outdoors. Here are some places to see in a half day! - The Cave Trail: A permit is required to enter into the caves in the park. As you’ll learn when you receive your permit, you cannot wear or bring anything that has EVER been in a cave before. This is to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome, which is killing millions of bats. Currently, two caves are available to explore and it’s really neat to climb down into the area and climb over the rocks. The trail is about 1.5 miles. - Inferno Cone: Hike a quarter mile up onto a giant lava cone for amazing views of the surrounding area. - North Craters Trail: Walk on the rims of a few different craters and traverse through a former lava flow on this beautiful 3.5-mile hike. - Spatter Cones: These cones are essentially mini cones that you can peer inside of. I was shocked to see a ton of snow inside of the “Snow Cone” in July! - Devil’s Orchard Nature Trail: This accessible half mile trail takes you through an area of lava rocks and trees with signage teaching you about the environment. If you have more time, you can hike the Tree Molds Trail, the Broken Top trail or enjoy backcountry camping (permit required). Save this for future planning and let me know if you’ve been, if it’s on your list or if this is the first you’re learning about this unique place!