• View of the Great Rift

    Craters Of The Moon

    National Monument & Preserve Idaho

  • Wildflower peak expected later this month

    Peak bloom is expected around the end of May through mid-June this year. Obtain cave permit at Visitor Center (8 am to 4:30 pm daily) before entering any authorized cave. More »

Places

log restroom

Historic restroom built by the WPA

The Monument contains numerous cultural as well as natural resources. A number of archeological sites have been found at the monument. Goodale’s Cutoff, a section of the Oregon Trail that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, passes through the northern section of the monument.

The historic structures at Craters of the Moon date from the two main periods of National Park development—the rustic era and the Mission 66 era. Congress began appropriating money for park infrastructure, such as roads and buildings, in the mid-1920s, and funding increased during the New Deal during the 1930s. The monument’s log comfort station and log warehouse date from this era, and these structures are the only extant rustic-style buildings constructed by the National Park Service in Idaho. The second major period of park development began in 1955, when Congress allotted seven hundred million dollars for the Mission 66 program. The five housing units, the visitor center, the utility building and the brick comfort station in the campground were built during this time. The buildings are an early example of Mission 66 development, and are the only representations of Park Service Modern architecture in Idaho.

Historic Structures at Craters of the Moon (pdf)

 

Did You Know?

pioneer reenactment

"the Devil's Vomit" is how one Oregon- bound pioneer described his encounter with Craters of the Moon. Hundreds of pioneers travelled through the area on the Goodale's Cutoff section of the Oregon trail in the 1850's and 1860's.