Meteor Crater near Flagstaff, AZ is located approximately 35 miles east of Flagstaff in the northern part of the Arizona desert. It was originally called Canyon Diablo Crater, with many scientists calling it Barringer Crater in honor and memory of Daniel Barringer because Daniel was the first to believe and state it was made by the impact of meteorite.
Tourists cannot believe the size of Meteor Crater, which is 4,000 feet in diameter and 570 feet deep. The rim of the crater rises 150 feet above the plains. This crater is massive to see, with the remains being 50,000 years old. When the meteor crashed, it hit with a forcer larger than what you would see with 20 million tons of TNT. The terrain here is so like the moon that NASA has had the Apollo Astronauts do some of their training here.
The inside of the Meteor Crater can be seen from the inside of the visitor center, which has different locations each with telescopes to help to see every detail. Outside there are different paths and walkways where visitors can go hiking or take guided tours. To gain access to the Meteor Crater, tourists must come through the desert from either the west or east side along I-40. Directions for visitors make this very easy to find.
There is also a visiting center that has different multi-media presentations as well as interesting exhibits. A snack shop and gift shop are also located here and help to give the site a friendlier down-to-earth atmosphere. Admission to this great tourist site is $10 for adults and $5 for children. They are open from May through September. The crater, which has been privately owned for years, is a true enterprise designed to attract guests. In addition to the gift shop, there is also a restaurant and movie theatre. The Barringer family also own and operate an RV park with 71 sites for interested campers.
