CRATER LAKE

CRATER LAKE, Coconino National Forest

Crater Lake fills the vent of an extinct cinder cone

The light, porous cinders that put a roll and crunch in your step on the mountain trail that leads to Crater Lake belie the site’s fiery origins.  When viewed from the dusty dirt roads that pass by its base, the 8460-foot-high cinder cone volcano blends in with dozens of another mundane hills that dot the  Coconino National Forest 20 miles northwest of Flagstaff.  

San Francisco Peaks seen from Crater Lake volcano.

But a surprise at trail’s end makes this little mountain special.

During their active phases, cinder cone volcanoes live fast and furious lives. Although they are like a fly-in-the-soup in terms of igneous impact on the landscape when compared to the likes of other nearby volcanic mountains like the San Francisco Peaks or Kendrick Peak, these spitfires leave interesting residuals.

Kendrick Peak is visible through most of the hike

Crater Lake volcano seen from Forest Road 760

View from the road leading to Crater Lake

The conical hills that rarely break 1000 feet in height form when gas-propelled lava blasts from the earth in what has been described as “curtains of fire”. The bubbly spatter flies high into the sky cooling quickly into bits of ash, cinders (scoria) and pock-marked blobs that fall back to earth to form mound of  pyroclastic debris around the central vent.

Wright's Bluets bloom May through September

The process continues over months to decades before the eruption runs out of gas, the fireworks subside and a belch of viscous lava signals the end of the hill’s active period. Thousands to millions of years later, some of these spent magma geysers have taken on second lives as hiking destinations and tourist attractions.  Of the roughly 600 cinder cones in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona, several are well-known natural wonders.  The collapsed walls of Red Mountain expose complex volcanic structure while the young, intact Sunset Crater and its raw lava flow is an outdoor science festival.

Butter and Eggs bloom on the summit road

Others, like the Crater Lake volcano, live a less-showy, but intriguing retirement. The trek to this quiet geological find is an easy stroll on backroads below the east face of Kendrick Peak.  Begin hiking on Forest Road 9009D--a rough two-track--through piney cattle country. At the 0.8-mile point, a series of berms mark where the road has been decommissioned and closed to motorized travel. Follow the road scar another 0.2-mile to Forest Road 9009V on the right which swerves onto the mountain for a moderate half-mile climb to the rim of the crater. This short climb packs in some terrific views of the San Francisco Peaks, Crowley Park (an open meadow area) and Kendrick Peak.

San Francisco Peaks loom southeast of Crater Lake

 

Crater Lake approach.

Approaching Crater Lake

At the top of the trail, a wood cattle fence serves as a gateway to the jewel of the hike.  Directly ahead, a shallow pond shaded by pines and firs fills the basin that was the volcano’s central vent.  Alive with lush grasses and wildflowers, the aspen-ringed paradise is wrapped in a crusty rim of ragged stone.  A walk around the boggy, bowl-like depression reveals evidence of abundant wildlife activity. Footprints and scat speak to the importance of this watering hole to resident elk, deer, racoons, bear and birds.

A log soaks in Crater Lake

East flanks of Kendrick Peak tower over Crater Lake

Within this cloistered hollow, the hush and rustle of leaves makes it difficult to imagine that hot vapors and flames once spewed from the eroded vent.  Sometimes, in the early morning hours, the crater emulates its origins when the summer sun coaxes a smoke-like mist from the dewy swale. 

Volcanic ejecta on Crater Lake volcano

LENGTH: 3 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 7,955 – 8,460 feet

GETTING THERE: From Flagstaff, go 18.3 miles north on U.S. 180 to Forest Road 760 (just past milepost 234). Turn left and continue 0.9 mile and bear right at a fork. At 1.1 mile, continue straight ahead at the crossroads for the Kendrick Snowmobile trails. From this point, continue 1.0 mile to Forest Road 9009D on the left. The road sign is located roughly 100 feet in from the FR760 and is easy to miss. Park in the roadside pullouts.