"Winslow Crater" Top 5 Page for this destination Winslow Things to Do Tip by jumpingnorman

Thirty five miles east of Flagstaff and 25 miles west of Winslow lies one of the most amazing things in Arizona --- a real honest-to-goodness 50,000 year old perfect meteor crater (it hurtled to the earth at 40,000 miles per hour)! Everything was wiped out when it hit and you can still feel the devastation...

The first time I visited this place, it was already closed at about 630 PM when we went. So, make sure you check the hours when it is open.

Meteor Crater Visitor Center is open daily. Visitation hours are as follows:
Memorial Day to September 15th 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Rest of the year 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Thanksgiving Day open from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Closed Christmas Day

Go and watch the film first which educates on meteor collisions, and then see the actual crater itself. The Meteor Crater is over 4,000 feet across, and 550 feet deep, and there are observation telescopes that allow you a close up look at points of interest in the crater. Daily guided rim tours allow those with proper hiking shoes to venture about 1/3 mile around the crater rim. The tours leave hourly from 9:15 a.m. until 2:15 p.m., and last about 1 hour, weather permitting.

Then go to the museum where they have actual meteor specimens! A 1,406 pound meteorite fragment, the largest ever found in the area, is on display for visitors to view and touch. And there even miniscule meteor diamonds on display....Then the gift shop offers a lot of stuff and souvenirs for you to bring home.

I always bring friends here and they always are in awe, and I like seeing the expressions on their faces when they first see it for the first time...a view to behold! Scary if another meteor this size impacts a major city in the future...

Directions: Interstate 40, exit 233
Website: http://www.meteorcrater.com/index.php