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What to do
An aerial view of the
crater, with road at right.. |
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Mammoth crater & Hidden Valley
Been dreaming about walking under tall pine trees
with the wind whispering through the branches or a nice shady spot on a
warm sunny day? Then Hidden Valley is the place for you. A trail
meanders down the valley wall and around the valley floor under the
ponderosa pines. Listen for the hammering of the yellow-bellied
sapsucker and other woodpeckers or the high-pitched squeak of the
squirrels. If your timing is right you may see whitestemmed gentian or a
dwarf skullcap poking their blooms up next to the trail. Later in the
summer fireweed brightens the trail along the valley wall with its
spiked pink blossoms. Quiet solitude is another asset of Hidden Valley,
a place to relax and use your five senses to their fullest.
When you've filled your soul with the joys of Hidden Valley, cross the
road and follow the trail up to the rim of Mammoth Crater. Lava flowed
from this crater about 30,000 years ago, creating most of the lava tube
caves in the monument. Read the interpretive sign at the rim, then
follow the trail to the overlook below. Here you can get a better view
of the enormous size of the crater. If you are quiet, you may get a
glimpse of a pika, scrambling among the rocks near you. Soaring over the
crater may be a prairie falcon or violet-green swallows. Look for white
splashes, signs of a nest, on the walls. Occasionally, a raven or a
turkey vulture may be seen overhead. A close look along the trail may
reveal dwarf monkey flowers, gay penstemon, or the pale lavender blooms
of squaw carpet. Green leaf manzanita blooms early with tiny pink
bell-shaped flowers that turn into apple-like fruit later (manzanita in
Spanish means little apple).
These gems are only three miles from the Visitor Center. It is well
worth the drive up the graded gravel road--a must to make your visit
complete.
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