Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater (formally Barringer Crater), 5 miles south of Interstate 40 near Winslow, Arizona, is the best-preserved and most studied meteorite impact crater on Earth — a perfectly circular bowl 4,000 feet (0.75 miles) in diameter and 550 feet deep, with a raised rim 150 feet above the surrounding plain, created when an iron-nickel meteorite approximately 160 feet in diameter struck the Colorado Plateau at an estimated 26,000 miles per hour about 50,000 years ago.

The crater is privately owned by the Barringer family (descendants of mining engineer Daniel Moreau Barringer, who purchased the land in 1903 and spent his fortune attempting — unsuccessfully — to mine the buried meteorite) and is the finest example of a simple impact crater in the geological record. NASA used Meteor Crater to train Apollo astronauts in crater geology. Meteor Crater is a treasured geological icon of Arizona.

Meteor Crater offers walking the 3.4-mile crater rim trail (the primary experience — the paved rim trail provides views into the extraordinary bowl from multiple perspectives; the scale of the crater becomes apparent as you walk the rim and realize the floor of the crater (where a full-size American football stadium could fit, buried to its rim, with room for the entire spectating crowd on the crater floor) is 550 feet below; ranger-guided rim tours are offered several times daily and provide the most informative experience), visiting the interactive Meteor Crater Discovery Center (museum exhibits on impact science, the meteorite specimens, the Apollo astronaut training connection, and the history of the Barringer family’s mining attempt — including the drill core that discovered the meteorite did not survive impact intact; a well-designed museum), the 4D theater experience, and photography of the crater’s perfect circular form. The rim walk and the museum are the complete experience.

Spring (March through May) and fall (September through November) are the most comfortable — the Colorado Plateau temperatures are pleasant (55-75°F) and the high desert air is clear. Summer (June through August) is hot (90-95°F at the crater elevation) but the rim trail and museum are manageable; the crater is fully exposed to the sun on the rim walk — carry water and wear sun protection. The crater looks extraordinary at dawn (when the shadow of the rim falls into the bowl) and at golden hour before closing. Check the current hours (typically 8 AM to 5 PM; last admission 1 hour before closing). Any season is appropriate given the museum is climate-controlled.

Meteor Crater was used by Native Americans (Navajo and other Southwest peoples) who collected meteorite fragments from the surrounding plain. The crater was first described scientifically in 1891 by Grove Karl Gilbert of the US Geological Survey, who concluded (incorrectly) that it was a volcanic steam explosion crater. Mining engineer Daniel Moreau Barringer purchased the crater property in 1903, convinced (correctly) that it was a meteorite impact crater and that a large iron meteorite was buried beneath the floor. He spent 26 years and his fortune drilling for the meteorite (never found — the meteorite was vaporized on impact and scattered as fine dust and the Canyon Diablo meteorite fragments found in the surrounding plain; the main body does not exist as a solid mass below the crater). Barringer’s correct identification of the crater as a meteorite impact (finally confirmed by Dr. Eugene Shoemaker in the 1960s using shatter cones and coesite) established the scientific field of impact cratering. NASA used the crater to train Apollo astronauts (1966-1968) in crater geology.

Meteor Crater was formed approximately 50,000 years ago when an iron-nickel meteorite approximately 160 feet in diameter (estimated mass of 300,000 metric tons) struck the Colorado Plateau at 26,000 mph. The impact released energy equivalent to approximately 10 megatons of TNT, excavating 175 million tons of rock and forming the 4,000-foot-wide, 550-foot-deep crater in seconds. The impact created shatter cones (conical fracture patterns in rocks struck by hypervelocity impact — diagnostic of meteorite impact), coesite and stishovite (high-pressure silica polymorphs that form only under impact conditions), and Canyon Diablo meteorite fragments (iron-nickel meteorite material scattered across a 6-mile radius). The meteorite itself was largely vaporized on impact; only fragments survive in the surrounding plain. Meteor Crater is the best-preserved simple impact crater on Earth because the Colorado Plateau’s arid climate has minimized erosion since the impact.

Meteor Crater is surrounded by Colorado Plateau high-desert grassland — the wildlife in the immediate crater vicinity is modest (the site is developed with a museum and parking area), but the surrounding plain supports pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs, black-tailed jackrabbits, coyotes, horned larks, western meadowlarks and the occasional golden eagle or prairie falcon. The crater rim provides a broad view of the high desert, where pronghorn are often visible in the distance. The crater itself (being a contained geological feature on private land) has no significant wildlife habitat value.

Meteor Crater is a privately owned geological site rather than a managed natural area; ecological conservation is not the primary management focus. The surrounding Coconino Plateau grassland is Colorado Plateau high-desert ecosystem — blue grama, galleta grass, four-wing saltbush, Apache plume and other high-desert grasses and shrubs. Pronghorn antelope are the most ecologically significant large mammal of the surrounding plain. The crater’s extraordinary geological preservation (the best-preserved impact crater on Earth) is the primary conservation value.

Meteor Crater holds a unique place in Arizona’s geological and scientific heritage — the best-preserved meteorite impact crater on Earth, the site of the scientific discovery of the impact-cratering process (by Eugene Shoemaker, who used Barringer Crater to confirm the origin of lunar craters), the training ground for Apollo astronauts in crater geology, and a striking roadside geological landmark on I-40 between Winslow and Flagstaff. Its combination of extraordinary geological significance, excellent museum interpretation and dramatic visual impact makes it one of the finest roadside geological stops in the American West. Meteor Crater is a treasured scientific icon of Arizona.

Meteor Crater is 5 miles south of I-40 at exit 233 (between Winslow and Flagstaff, Arizona), on a paved road signed from the interstate. The facility is fully accessible by passenger car. Flagstaff (35 miles west) and Winslow (20 miles east) have services. The crater museum, gift shop and snack bar are on-site. A significant admission fee is charged (check the current fee at meteorcrater.com). The site is open daily; check current hours before visiting. No NPS pass is accepted (the crater is privately owned).

Meteor Crater is privately owned and managed by Barringer Crater Company. Visitors help by respecting all property rules (do not attempt to access the crater floor — it is not open to the public; the rim trail is the visitor experience), staying on the paved rim trail, and not collecting any Canyon Diablo meteorite material from the surrounding plain (collecting is prohibited on the private property). The geological preservation of the crater — its extraordinary condition after 50,000 years — is the primary conservation value; minimizing erosion from foot traffic on the rim is managed by the paved trail.

The crater rim trail is paved and appropriate for visitors of all abilities; no significant safety hazards exist on the rim trail itself. The high desert sun and the exposed rim walk require sun protection and adequate water (carry 1+ liter per person; no drinking water on the rim trail itself). The crater floor is not accessible to visitors. High winds occasionally occur at the crater rim — secure loose items. Respect the paved trail, the sun exposure and the wind.

Private property; admission fee required. Stay on designated rim trail; do not attempt to access the crater floor. No collecting of meteorite material on the property. Photography for personal use is welcome. Commercial photography or filming requires prior permission from Barringer Crater Company. Check meteorcrater.com for current hours, admission fees and any special programs before visiting.

Winslow, Arizona (20 miles east — famous for the Eagles’ “Take It Easy” — “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” — with a bronze statue and mural at the corner of 2nd and Kinsley; the Homolovi State Park nearby with Ancestral Puebloan ruins), Flagstaff (35 miles west — Arizona’s mountain city with Northern Arizona University, the Lowell Observatory — where Pluto was discovered — and the gateway to the Grand Canyon South Rim), the Petrified Forest National Park (60 miles east), and the Painted Desert define the region. Meteor Crater is the most compelling single geological stop on I-40 in Arizona and deserves a 3-hour visit including the museum.

Take the 45-minute ranger-guided rim tour (offered several times daily; check the schedule at the visitor center when you arrive) rather than self-guiding the rim trail — the ranger’s explanation of the impact physics, the scale of the energy release, and the Apollo astronaut training stories transforms the experience from “interesting hole in the ground” to “profound understanding of planetary-scale impact processes.” Walk the full rim trail (3.4 miles) after the guided tour for the panoramic views from different perspectives. The crater’s scale is hard to grasp at first — look for the 6-foot-tall replica astronaut on the crater floor (far below) to calibrate the depth. The museum’s Canyon Diablo meteorite specimen collection is exceptional; spend time with the meteorite displays before or after the rim walk.