Last Updated on May 19, 2024 by Nikole
The Official Guide to Visiting Sunset Crater
There are so many things to do in Arizona including Slide Rock State Park and Horse Shoe Bend! One of the most spectacular sites to see is the volcanoes in Arizona, specifically that of Sunset Crater.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is a recent volcanic eruption site, which is part of 600 volcanoes within the San Francisco Peaks. The site features several walking trails through lava run and a volcano.
There are several different places to view volcanoes and lava run trails within Sunset Crater Park, and we are here to help you find them all. While on your visit you can stay the night at one of the park’s campsites or hike one of the numerous hiking trails available.
You can see all of the following areas at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument:
- O’Leary and Bonito Camp Grounds
- O’Leary Peak Trailhead and Lookout
- Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center
- A’A Trailhead
- Lava Flow Trailhead
- Wupatki National Monument
- Cinder Hills
Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center
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You don’t want to miss out on some of Arizona’s volcano sightseeing. Some of them you can even hike to the top of.
Just off Highway 89, a loop road will take you through the Sun Set National Park with some of the volcanoes. Also, This loop road will allow you to view the volcanoes and lava run trail.
There is a Vehicle fee of $25 unless your visit falls on the days listed on the National Park Service website (then it will be free). Those fees will be paid at a toll booth before you enter the national park.
Camp Grounds
There are two areas where you can camp, and both are located at the beginning of the Sunset Crater Park entrance.
The O’Leary campground is designed for bigger group camps and sits below O’Leary Peak. It is over $100 per night, but that depends on the spot you want and how many are in your party.
Pets are allowed here, however, you will not have access to electricity.
The Bonito Camp Ground is located a short drive after the O’Leary Camp Ground. It costs about $30 per night, and you can stay up to 14 nights.
These areas are open now after Covid. Check on the website, because these camps may be closed due to fire danger in the area.
1. O’Leary Peak trailhead and lookout at Sunset Crater
To my understanding, you will not have to pay the $25 fee in order to hike the O’Leary Peak Trail. Let the park ranger at the booth know you plan on only hiking this trail, and they should let you by without the fee.
O’Leary Peak trailhead is 3.5 miles to the tower (you actually cannot access this tower). You don’t necessarily need the tower to see the views of Humphreys Peak, Sunset Crater, and the rest of the San Francisco Peaks. The hike is considered strenuous and lightly trafficked.
Prepare for a longer hike, most people complete the trail in about 5 hours or more.
2. A’A Trailhead
The A’A trail is an easy .2-mile hike. It will take you through the dried-up lava that remains (also known as cinders, bits of lava that fell from the sky that later cooled).
I thought it was cool to see where the lava flowed and walk through it all, but you can also see most of the trail from the car.
You can now tell your friends you have walked through lava… and survived.
3. Sunset Crater
Sunset Crater is just one of the 600 volcanos that make up the San Francisco Peaks. According to the National Parks Service, Sunset Crater last erupted in 1085. Taking the Lava Flow Trailhead will lead you to the base of Sunset Crater. (listed below)
4. Lava Flow Trailhead
The Lava Flow Trail will take you on a .8-mile hike from the parking lot to the base of Sunset Crater. There were a few stairs during the hike but seemed to be fairly easy.
Unfortunately, access to the top was closed in 1973. If you would like to hike to the top of a crater head to the Lenox Trailhead next door.
5. Lenox Trailhead
The Lenox trail is about 1 mile to the top, and you will be rewarded with a 360 view. The trail is all uphill but has trees to shade you along the way.
Erosion has taken over, so you won’t see the big crater when you get to the top. It’s more like a dome at the top with a very small indention where the crater used to be.
6. Wupatki National Monument
The Wupatki National Monument displays pretty cool Native American ruins. This sort of settlement was called a Pueblo. If you would like to read a little more about this particular settlement you can visit NationalParks.org or NPS.org.
The visitors center is now open, check out the website before going because they often have closures due to fire danger.
We spent almost 2 hours checking everything out and reading plaques. (what can I say, we are nerds sometimes). It was SUPER hot, so bring those water bottles, and make sure you stand over that ancient AC unit in the ground.
7. Cinder Hills OHV Area
When driving along the loop trail we noticed some side-by-sides climbing the sandy dunes.
I thought to myself holy CRAP that looks awesome. Well, it turns out you can bring your own vehicle to Cinder Hills, where there are several mountains and areas to climb.
On the maps (in the link above), you can see this area is below the loop trail.
In Conclusion to Sun Set Crater Park
Sunset Crater is only a small portion of volcanic activity in Arizona, but it will take you a full day to see everything the park has to offer.
If you are interested in finding more volcanos in the USA read these posts next.
