Labor Day Family Hiking Fun
Trip Start
Unknown
1
Trip End
Ongoing
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Went out to view the tree molds (one photo is uploaded) which was a march of about 2 miles roundtrip. Kids did great, was easy walking and there were a lot of interesting burned-out trees along the way. Recommended for anyone, though I don't think it would be wheel-chair accessible. One steep area, but it is smooth and wide.
Also walked around a cindercone which had labelled points along the way to indicate different geological features. Of course, WE went backwards...but it was still great. This hike is about 1.8 miles long and not too bad. There are steep areas but all the kids made it fine. This was a better path...still not sure how a wheel-chair might do, but there was paving in parts.
We then had to go tour the big caves. This pathway is completely paved and wheel-chair accessible. Can't remember round-trip distance, but similar to the others and an easy walk.
There are four main caves here to explore. The first is hard to get into so we skipped it.
Next we went to the Boy Scout cave. Being claustrophobic, I did not go in as there are areas where one has to slide in on one's belly to gain access. This cave is icy! AND DARK! Flashlights are an absolute necessity (take extras - we had several go out on us! Lesson learned) and a jacket is not a bad idea either. Sorry no photos of this one.
After this is Beauty Cave. It is a bit of a climb to get down into and is also very dark as you get in a bit. FLASHLIGHTS!!! A part of the cave had been closed off due to a ceiling collapse so it is smaller than I remembered, but still beautiful. Shiny and a bit damp, but not terribly cold. In fact, it was a nice break to cool off! WATCH YOUR STEP! There are obstacles on the ground and another family who went in with us had a casualty who needed bandaged after...nothing serious but keep your flashlights pointed at the ground.
Lastly we went back down the trail the way we had come in and went off on a separate branch to visit Indian cave. This is the biggest cave and the lightest - really don't need flashlights for most of it. It is a lava tube that has partially collapsed, so along the way there are gorgeous openings in the high ceilings, makes for some interesting light for photos. Plenty of opportunity to scramble on and over rocks and do some exploring. Smaller caves (read that as lava tubes) break off here and there for more exploration, if you can reach them. Spent the most time here as it was also nice and cool. Spent some time just sitting and looking and relaxing, was very pleasant. I can see why it would make a really good living area at one point. There are stairs leading down into this one, but after that it is up to you to get around. Watch out for rocks as twisted ankles are most likely if you don't!
A great day! Highly recommended for the family - and there are camping sites if you want to hang out for a couple days. Entry (at this time) is $8.00 per vehicle.
