Apollo Astronauts Trained in This Idaho Park

I’ve seen some travel writers pan Craters of the Moon. I guess they were expecting green cheese. The rock formations at this Idaho attraction are incredibly unique. In geological history, it’s also very young. Some of the last lava flows were taking place as Charlemagne ruled a vast swath of Europe.

A website called outsideonline.com has high praise for the lava rocks located near Arco. The writer also recommends stopping at the legendary Pickle’s Place in Arco for a bite.

I was driving home one summer from Arco’s Atomic Days parade and decided to make a stop at Craters of the Moon. It was hot. Triple digits on the thermometer and I could feel my sneakers sticking to the pavement as I walked the trail. I didn’t mind. The park was like nothing I had ever seen before. I thought admission of 10 dollars was a bargain. There’s more than geologic history here. Apollo astronauts trained at the place in preparation for visiting the real moon.

The formations also serve as a background for the worst full-length film ever made. A turkey of a production titled Idaho Transfer. Only a hemp clothing-wearing liberal could appreciate the story. It looks like Peter Fonda spent no more on the picture than I did on park admission.

You can camp at Craters of the Moon, however. Sites are limited. There appears to be no danger of any new lava flows in our lifetimes. It’s part of a much larger discharge that stretched east to west across current-day Idaho.