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| The Barringer Meteor Crater formed some 50,000 years ago when a meteorite slammed into northern Arizona. |
meteor slammed into what is now northern Arizona.
The 2-mile round trip
The 2-mile round trip
hike along the southern rim of Barringer Crater sits in Meteor Crater Natural Landmark.
While privately owned, unlike most tourist traps, this stop is well worth paying the admission fee – there’s literally no other meteor crater as good as this one in the world.
To reach the trailhead, from Winslow, Arizona, drive Interstate 40 west. At Exit 233, take Meteor Crater Road south. The road ends at the visitor center.
10 megatons TNT
From there, guided tours are offered. The main trail heads west along the uplifted crater rim.
The crater is an impressive sight. About 3900 feet in diameter, the crater is 56 stories deep with the rim rising nearly 15 stories above the surrounding desert plain.
Some 50,000 years ago, this region was an open grassland that mammoths roamed with scattered woodlands inhabited by giant ground sloths.
Then one day a nickel-iron meteorite about 160 feet across and traveling at 29,000 mph smashed into the earth here, excavating the crater. The explosion – equal to about 10 megatons TNT or 667 atomic bombs like those dropped on Hiroshima – could be heard across much of North America.
Vaporized
Rock shot up from the impact can be found miles around the crater. As driving in from the freeway to the visitor center, you probably noticed the number of boulders in the surrounding desert growing increasingly more numerous.
About half of the meteorite vaporized while descending through the atmosphere with almost all of the remaining bulk vaporizing upon impact. There are few remains of the meteor, though one box-sized chunk of it is displayed at the visitor center.
Erosion is filling in the crater. The rim crest has lost about 50-65 feet of height since the impact while some 100 feet of lake sediments and alluvium have filled the crater floor. Fortunately for science, the crater sits in the dry Arizona desert, where erosion usually is slow.
Mining engineer and businessman Daniel M. Barringer in 1903 proposed that the crater might be mined for the iron remains of the meteor. His mining company staked a claim and received a land grant, but very little iron ever was found. The crater since has been named for him.
Additional short walks
In addition to the rim hike, you can take a short 0.6-mile round trip trail along the rim to the Moon Mountain Telescope east of the visitor center.
Another 0.3-mile round trip trail takes you slightly down the crater’s side to a view platform and ramada.
The Discovery Center offers a number of interesting exhibits about the crater. An Apollo test capsule from America’s moon race days also is on display.
There’s no natural shade on the hike, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat.
To reach the trailhead, from Winslow, Arizona, drive Interstate 40 west. At Exit 233, take Meteor Crater Road south. The road ends at the visitor center.
10 megatons TNT
From there, guided tours are offered. The main trail heads west along the uplifted crater rim.
The crater is an impressive sight. About 3900 feet in diameter, the crater is 56 stories deep with the rim rising nearly 15 stories above the surrounding desert plain.
Some 50,000 years ago, this region was an open grassland that mammoths roamed with scattered woodlands inhabited by giant ground sloths.
Then one day a nickel-iron meteorite about 160 feet across and traveling at 29,000 mph smashed into the earth here, excavating the crater. The explosion – equal to about 10 megatons TNT or 667 atomic bombs like those dropped on Hiroshima – could be heard across much of North America.
Vaporized
Rock shot up from the impact can be found miles around the crater. As driving in from the freeway to the visitor center, you probably noticed the number of boulders in the surrounding desert growing increasingly more numerous.
About half of the meteorite vaporized while descending through the atmosphere with almost all of the remaining bulk vaporizing upon impact. There are few remains of the meteor, though one box-sized chunk of it is displayed at the visitor center.
Erosion is filling in the crater. The rim crest has lost about 50-65 feet of height since the impact while some 100 feet of lake sediments and alluvium have filled the crater floor. Fortunately for science, the crater sits in the dry Arizona desert, where erosion usually is slow.
Mining engineer and businessman Daniel M. Barringer in 1903 proposed that the crater might be mined for the iron remains of the meteor. His mining company staked a claim and received a land grant, but very little iron ever was found. The crater since has been named for him.
Additional short walks
In addition to the rim hike, you can take a short 0.6-mile round trip trail along the rim to the Moon Mountain Telescope east of the visitor center.
Another 0.3-mile round trip trail takes you slightly down the crater’s side to a view platform and ramada.
The Discovery Center offers a number of interesting exhibits about the crater. An Apollo test capsule from America’s moon race days also is on display.
There’s no natural shade on the hike, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat.
TOPO MAP
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