Meteor Crater

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A Cosmic Encounter in the Arizona Desert

On my most recent trip to Flagstaff, Arizona - a gateway to jaw-dropping natural wonders - I took a detour that turned out to be one of the most memorable parts of my adventure. After marveling at the Grand Canyon’s layered majesty, I drove an hour east of Flagstaff to visit Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Meteorite Crater. I had never been before, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I found was a site so scientifically significant, visually captivating, and emotionally moving that I found myself whispering “wow” more times than I could count.

The First Glimpse
As you approach the crater, the surrounding desert stretches out in peaceful monotony - until you notice the terrain has been disturbed. Giant white sandstone boulders, flung hundreds of yards from the point of impact, are scattered across the red Moenkopi earth. That contrast, white on rust, is your first clue that something extraordinary happened here.

At first, the crater itself seems to appear out of nowhere. One moment, you're on a plain, and the next you’re peering into a colossal bowl that looks like it was scooped from the earth by a divine ice cream spoon. It's a staggering sight. Standing on the edge, looking down 550 feet to the crater floor, I could barely spot the six-foot-tall astronaut statue below - only visible through the observation deck’s powerful telescopes or a very lucky iPhone photo. Even Aidan, our guide, describes it as “that tic tac looking thing.”

Best Tip: Start With the Guided Tour
The smartest way to structure your visit is to check the schedule for the guided rim walk first. These tours offer insights you simply can’t get from signs alone, especially when led by engaging guides like Aidan, who pepper their commentary with humor, science, and a dash of Arizona rancher folklore.

One highlight of the tour is learning about reverse stratigraphy, a geological phenomenon caused by the sheer force of the impact. The meteorite hit the desert floor so hard that it literally flipped layers of the earth, placing deep white sandstone on top of the natural red Moenkopi rock. You’re standing among rocks that should’ve been buried deep inside the Earth. That knowledge alone made my skin prickle. And helped astronauts figure out what they needed to take to the moon with them … and it wasn’t a lot of mining equipment.

Another unforgettable moment came when Aidan pointed out the remnants of a Cessna plane crash on the crater’s west wall. The story? Two pilots in the 1960s wanted to get a closer look at the crater but misjudged the intense heat vortex within. They spiraled down and crash-landed - miraculously, they survived. Pieces of the plane are still there, glinting in the sun, but most of it dropped into a mine shaft to help prevent current pilots from reporting a current crash site.

And if you think that’s wild, just wait until you hear about the VW bus from the 1980s that tumbled into the crater with two occupants. Again, miraculously, both survived and yes, they were also rescued by local ranchers from the Bar T Bar Ranch, who’ve been part of the crater’s story since the beginning.

The Movie: “Impact - The Mystery of Meteor Crater”
After your walk, head into the Discovery Center and Museum, where you’ll find a small theater showing a fascinating 9-minute film every hour and half-hour. It’s short, but powerfully done, with special effects that help you visualize just how violent and awe-inspiring the impact was 50,000 years ago.

You’ll learn that the meteor was 150 feet wide, made of iron and nickel, and hit with a force 150 times stronger than an atomic bomb. The explosion excavated over 175 million tons of rock and created a debris field more than a mile wide. The energy was so intense that it formed microscopic diamonds from carbon in the rocks.


Exploring the Museum: Touch a Meteorite!
The museum itself is compact but packed with interactive exhibits. You can:

Why here? Because Meteor Crater’s lunar-like terrain made it the perfect proving ground for spacesuits, rovers, and rock sampling techniques. In fact, Neil Armstrong himself visited and trained at Meteor Crater, and there's a photo of him and Drew Barringer - the descendant of Daniel Barringer, who devoted his life to proving this was an impact crater.

History, Hopes, and Heartbreak
One of the most compelling parts of the Meteor Crater story is Daniel Barringer’s obsession with finding a giant meteorite buried under the surface. He spent 26 years drilling and digging, convinced there was an iron treasure below. Unfortunately, he never found anything larger than a baseball.

We now know why - upon impact, most of the meteorite vaporized or fragmented into tiny pieces, scattered across the region. But Barringer’s unwavering belief changed the course of geology. Thanks to his research and the later work of Dr. Eugene Shoemaker (who confirmed the crater's origin as impact not volcanic in 1960), scientists have since discovered hundreds of other impact sites around the globe.


Café and Gift Shop: Fuel and Fun
Before you leave, take time to relax at the Meteor Crater Mining Co. Café, designed in a cozy early 20th-century mining aesthetic. Firecreek Coffee, sandwiches, and cold drinks make for a perfect mid-adventure snack. For archeology fans, check out the Visitor Center Frank Lloyd Wright proposed for this site. The land couldn’t hold it, so the current structure was built, but gosh, that’s an amazing site.

Across from the café is a wide-ranging gift and mineral shop, filled with everything from T-shirts and toys to genuine meteorite fragments, polished geodes, and Native American jewelry. Many pick up a small piece of tektite and a “Meteor Crater: Best Preserved Impact Site on Earth” mug to commemorate the trip.


A Few Extra Nerdy Nuggets

Planning Your Visit

Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a geology buff, a space nerd, or just someone who appreciates nature’s power, Meteor Crater is a must-see. It’s not just a hole in the ground - it’s a 50,000-year-old window into cosmic history. The combination of science, storytelling, and stunning visuals makes it a perfect half-day trip from Flagstaff.

Looking down into that ancient scar on Earth’s surface, I felt small - but also deeply connected to something vast and timeless. I came out of curiosity. I left with a sense of awe.


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