Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

All clear. The managing agency, the National Weather Service and wildfire reporting show no current alerts.

Overview

The lava flow lies on the land like a dream, a wonderland of rock. A thousand years ago the ground was torn open and lava erupted into the sky, forever changing the landscape and the lives of the people who lived here. A thousand years later, trees and flowers grow among the rocks, and people visit the lava flow to see and remember the most recent volcanic eruption in Arizona.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Astronomy
  • Stargazing
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Park Hours: The Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is open every day. The visitor center is open daily from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The roads and trails are open 24/7, with occasional closures for fire season or winter weather.

Fees and passes

  • Entrance - Private Vehicle — $25.00
  • Entrance - Motorcycle — $20.00
  • Entrance - Per Person — $15.00
  • Entrance - Non-commercial Groups — $15.00
  • Entrance - Education/Academic Groups
  • Commercial Entrance - Sedan — $28.00
  • Commercial Entrance - Van — $40.00
  • Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach — $100.00
  • Annual Entrance - Park — $45.00

The America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees at federal recreation lands across all four agencies.

Getting there

From Flagstaff, travel north on US Highway 89; from Page and the east entrance of the Grand Canyon, travel south on Highway 89. Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments are both on the loop road FR-545, which meets Highway 89 near mile markers 430 (Sunset Crater Volcano) and 444 (Wupatki).

Visitor centers

  • Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center

Weather

Be prepared for variable and extreme weather conditions. Expect high winds any time of year. Summer temperatures are often above 95ºF (35ºC) and we have afternoon thunderstorms from July through September. Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures are common in the winter. Dress in layers, as weather at Sunset Crater Volcano can change quickly at any time of year.

Phone: 928-526-0502

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

a jagged field of lava beneath a cinder cone volcano
Sunset Crater and Bonito Lava Flow · NPS Photo / Elliot Schultz
a massive volcano rising behind a smaller, tree-covered volcano in the foreground
Lenox Crater and the San Francisco Peaks · NPS Photo / Elliot Schultz
a small ponderosa pine tree in a field of rolling cinder hills
Lone Ponderosa · NPS Photo / Elliot Schultz
tall pine trees grow beneath the Sunset Crater Volcano cinder cone
Ponderosas Reaching Skyward · NPS Photo / Elliot Schultz
A reddish cinder cone volcano standing above a meadow of dry grass
Sunset Crater over Bonito Park · NPS / Owen Ellis
A snow-covered cinder cone and lava flow under a clear blue sky
Sunset Crater in winter · NPS / Owen Ellis

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