On this particular morning of our road trip, we woke up to (surprisingly) freezing temperatures in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Just a few hours ago it was so unbelievably hot (albeit in a different location) so how did things get so cold so fast? Sh*tGotRealFast.
Thankfully, coming from the UK, we were all pretty prepared to deal with all sorts of weather (I knew those extra kgs in my suitcase were gonna be worth it) so we whipped out some warm clothes, hopped into the ‘Road Trip Mobile’ (that’s what I’m calling the rental car now… might change it if I think of something catchier) and headed out to Meteor Crater.
Meteor Crater is, actually, you know what?
There’s a Wikipedia page on Meteor Crater here so just read all about it there if you wanna know more.
All you gotta know is that this the biggest and the best-preserved meteor crater in the world, formed by a collision between an asteroid travelling 26,000 miles per hour and planet Earth approximately 50,000 years ago.
There are even bits of the meteor around for you to see and touch.
For a bit of context as well – the crater is about a mile long, 2.4 miles round and 550 feet deep! It is huge and even the photos don’t fully depict how ginormous Meteor Crater is!
We got a tour around the crater (which is the only way to see if I remember correctly but check the details on the Meteor Crater website here) and the guides (who live there) were pretty fantastic.
You can tell when someone has a real passion for a place rather than just showing up to do a job.
He was quite informative and entertaining (my gosh, I sound like an informercial).
HOW TO GET THERE?
Drive. There’s not much around it and unless you have some package tour deal, rent a car and drive there. It is located at:
Meteor Crater,
Interstate 40, Exit 233
Winslow, AZ 86047 USA
Driving Directions
From Flagstaff, AZ: Head east on I-40 about 35 miles. Take the Meteor Crater Road exit (exit 233) and turn right. Drive about 5 miles and you will see the crater.
From Winslow, AZ: Head west on I-40 about 18 miles. Take the Meteor Crater Road exit (exit 233) and turn left. Drive about 5 miles and you will see the crater.
QUICK TIPS:
1.) Time-wise, don’t expect to be here for too long, an hour. An hour and a half top (especially if you’re into meteor crater selfies).
2.) Be prepared for any kind of weather. The weather here appears to be one of two extremes and seeing as you’ll be outdoors and not in a climate-controlled environment, you want to make sure you’re appropriately dressed.
3.) There’s a video session you can attend as well. Dull as dishwater but rather informative.
4.) Definitely make an effort to come here. It is so impressive when you see it and don’t forget to see (part of) the actual meteorite that created the crater. It is rather impressive, especially when you think that was just floating around in space for ages (plus how old it is).
5.) There isn’t much around here so pack some food and drinks just in case you (or any young ‘uns) get peckish (hungry).
6.) Try to make sure you have your passport with you. Arizona and New Mexico appear to have immigration issues and you could very well get stopped by police at checkpoints or randomly and asked to produce your passports (we all had to produce ours at some point in New Mexico and only because we actually stopped to ask for directions).
7.) Get yourself a souvenir. It’s kitsch but it’s also half the fun. Got a snow globe, a Route 66 hipflask and a few other items that are sat on a place of pride along with all the other road trip souvenirs.
OPENING TIMES: It is open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM during summer (i.e. Memorial Day to Labor Day) and out of summer from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
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