Craters of the Moon and other sites of little consequence

Having completed the initial foray into Idaho with the trip to Glacier NP, I had planned a second trip thru the state for additional sightseeing adventures.  This required me to fly from Seattle to Boise and then turn this episode into a driving exercise, and that it was.  The sites to be viewed were the Craters of the Moon NP, the Shoshone Falls and anything else I might stumble across during the driving part.  As it turned out, the unexpected sites were just as commanding as the two noted above.  I just didn't know what to expect until I stumbled over them.  So here is what I have to tell you.

First, as I noted, there is some considerable driving.  Boise to Craters NP was about 150 miles.  Then another 75 miles to Shoshone Falls.  Then there is the trip back to Boise which would add another 130 miles.  Not overwhelming but hardly a short stretch of the legs!  But this was all understood from the beginning.  On to the sites.  

Craters of the Moon NP is located in the middle of nowhere in south east Idaho.  You see very little except the scenery for most of the drive.  There are a couple of small towns, but if you blink, you will miss them.  

Craters NP is all about volcanoes and the rocks that they created during their eruptions.  Now these eruptions go back a few thousand years, and all volcanoes are considered dormant, so no worries, folks on any imminent explosions.  The rock is black and all sizes and shapes.  The park is covered with them as you see in the photos, and there are a few cones or mounds that were created when the volcanos were live.  

  One odd point is that this area is so unique compared to the rest of the state.  The area the volcanic rock covers is about 25 miles wide and up to 10 miles long.  But outside of this area, all you see are low lands and prairies that are either farmed or used for grazing by cattle.  I drove the loop road to see the cone volcanos from various vantage points.  

The area is slightly hilly but not too much.  The drive is interesting and there are a number of spots to stop and view the scene.  But in my opinion the park is more for hiking and cave exploring,  Since I am not much of a hiker, I stayed in the car and observed. As for cave exploring, one can do this if one desires, however, this option can be limited.  The caves are home to various bat populations, but there have been some viruses that can decimate the bats so not all caves are open to the public and one cave it is required to have and wear clothing that had not been in any cave recently.  Another point is that these caves are not like Carlsbad Caverns or Monmouth Cave.  There are no well laid out trails.  You are exploring caves that require one to crawl, duck, squeeze and basically get into the dirt.  You also need a flashlight as there is no lighting in these caves.  Not exactly my cup of tea.  I did manage to stop at the visitor center and pick up my usual tee shirt.

 After leaving Craters of the Moon National park, I headed for Shoshone falls.  As I stated earlier, this was about a 75 mile trip thru the plateaued plains of the state.  It was basically flat or rolling hills, and you could see for miles.  You did not get a sense of mountains or valleys on this ride.  That is until you reached the Snake River gorge. For 75 miles, you are driving on solid ground without a care in the world.  Then, all of a sudden the land ends and an impressive gorge shows up.  It was like that the land just disappeared.  It is similar to a miniature Grand Canyon.  

As you can tell from the pictures that this is a good sized hole in the ground and so different then the layout before reaching the canyon.  It is worth a trip, especially during the spring when snow run off from the warmer temperatures fill streams that also reach the falls.  There is a golf course at the base of the canyon that runs along the river.  On the western side, their is development of expensive homes that have incredible views, but that is for the rich.  

The canyon itself stretches for miles going on a more southerly course, where it sometimes is almost level with the land and then the sides mount upward again to form a smaller canyon.  I headed back to Boise to catch my late flight to head home.  It was a decent trip and the time spent with the Goodspeeds was as good as it gets.  

Now I'm working out my next trip which is looking like another trek to Colorado and a few more National Parks, Black Canyon and Great Sand Dunes.  Maybe even Mesa Verde if I have the time. 

Until next time.