Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Sunset Crater is a cinder cone that erupted about a thousand years ago, the most recent volcanic eruption in Arizona, just north of Flagstaff. Its lava flows and black cinder fields are close to the road, with short trails across them and a steep climb up a neighbouring cone.
Fast facts
- Established: 1930
- Size: about 3,040 acres (12 km²)
- Cinder cone: about 1,000 feet (300 m) high, its rim tinted red and yellow
- Eruption: around 1085, the most recent in Arizona
- Gateway: Flagstaff, Arizona
- Managed by: the National Park Service, with neighbouring Wupatki National Monument
The landscape
Sunset Crater’s cinders are black at the base and red and yellow at the rim, colours that gave it its name. Around it lie the rough Bonito Lava Flow, fields of loose black cinders and ponderosa pine slowly returning. The eruption buried nearby farms, and people moved to what is now Wupatki. The monument sits at about 7,000 feet (2,130 m).
Best time to go
Late spring to fall. Summer highs can top 95°F (35°C) on the black rock, and July to September brings afternoon thunderstorms. Winter brings snow and ice, and wind is common in every season.
Getting there and around
The monument is off US 89 about 15 miles (24 km) north of Flagstaff. A 34-mile (55 km) loop road, Forest Road 545, runs through Sunset Crater and Wupatki and back to US 89, making an easy half-day drive.
Things to do
The Lava Flow Trail is a 1-mile (1.6 km) loop across the Bonito Lava Flow at the foot of the cone, with a short paved section. The A’a Trail is a short walk over jagged lava. The Lenox Crater Trail climbs a steep, loose cinder slope of about 300 feet (90 m) to the rim of a neighbouring cone, about 1 mile (1.6 km) round trip.
Hiking on Sunset Crater itself has been prohibited since 1973 because of erosion. For a longer outing, the Lava’s Edge Trail follows the edge of the flow, and continuing north on the loop road to Wupatki adds ancestral Puebloan villages.
Staying safe
Lava is sharp and uneven, and cinder slopes are loose underfoot. Black rock gets very hot in summer, and afternoon lightning is common from July to September. At 7,000 feet (2,130 m), expect sudden cold, wind and snow in winter.
Know before you go
An entrance fee applies, and it also covers Wupatki (America the Beautiful pass accepted). Stay on trails, since off-trail hiking on the cinders is prohibited. This page is a general overview, not a live conditions report, so confirm conditions with the National Park Service before you go.
- Coordinates
- 35.3711, -111.5113
- Magnetic declination
- 9.8° E (2026)
Set this declination on your compass, then align it to the map's north lines; it is the angle between true north and magnetic north, refreshed each year.
How declination works, and how to navigate with a map and compass
A spread of the park’s main places shows straight away, and the rest appear as you zoom in. You can also search above, or pick any place from the lists below, and the map will go to it. Places in bold, marked , have a short description.
Getting there 3
Park entrances
Visitor centre
On the trail 3
Trailhead
Routes
Sights 5
Viewpoints
Point of interest
Peaks
Map data comes from third-party sources and may be incomplete or out of date, so carry a current official map (terms).
Looking for one of these closer to home?Destinations near me by trip type →
- Best seasons
- Late spring, Summer, Fall
- Difficulty
- Easy to moderate
- Access / trailheads
- Off US 89 about 15 miles (24 km) north of Flagstaff, on the Sunset Crater-Wupatki loop road (FR 545).
- Water
- At the visitor center. None on trails.
- Cell / satellite coverage
- Fair near the visitor center; patchy elsewhere.
- Nearest ranger / SAR / emergency
- Emergencies: 911. Visitor center: 928-526-0502.
- Permits & regulations
- Entrance fee, shared with Wupatki (America the Beautiful pass accepted). No hiking on Sunset Crater itself; off-trail travel prohibited.
- Leave No Trace
- Stay on trails (footprints on cinders last for decades), never take cinders or lava, and pack out all waste.
January
- Below-freezing nights
- Day-to-night swing of 31°F (17°C)Day-to-night swing of 17°C (31°F)
February
- Below-freezing nights
- Day-to-night swing of 31°F (17°C)Day-to-night swing of 17°C (31°F)
March
- Below-freezing nights
- Day-to-night swing of 33°F (18°C)Day-to-night swing of 18°C (33°F)
April
- Below-freezing nights
- Day-to-night swing of 34°F (19°C)Day-to-night swing of 19°C (34°F)
May
- Day-to-night swing of 36°F (20°C)Day-to-night swing of 20°C (36°F)
June
- Day-to-night swing of 40°F (22°C)Day-to-night swing of 22°C (40°F)
July
- Day-to-night swing of 35°F (19°C)Day-to-night swing of 19°C (35°F)
August
- Day-to-night swing of 34°F (19°C)Day-to-night swing of 19°C (34°F)
September
- Day-to-night swing of 35°F (19°C)Day-to-night swing of 19°C (35°F)
October This month
- Below-freezing nights
- Day-to-night swing of 37°F (21°C)Day-to-night swing of 21°C (37°F)
November
- Below-freezing nights
- Day-to-night swing of 35°F (19°C)Day-to-night swing of 19°C (35°F)
December
- Below-freezing nights
- Day-to-night swing of 32°F (18°C)Day-to-night swing of 18°C (32°F)
What to bring depends on your trip: how long you’re out, where you sleep, and how far you go from the road. The planner builds the list for yours.
Plan a trip here →Averages for 1991–2020 from NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, measured at the Sunset Crater National Monument station, 2 miles (3 km)3 km (2 miles) away at 6,980 feet (2,128 m)2,128 m (6,980 feet). Higher trails run colder, by about 3.5°F for every 1,000 ft (2°C per 300 m)2°C for every 300 m (3.5°F per 1,000 ft) of climb. Daylight runs from sunrise to sunset on the 15th, on the park’s own clock, for a level horizon. Valleys and slopes facing away from the sun are in shade earlier.
Nearby parks
-
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Sinagua cliff dwellings on limestone ledges just east of Flagstaff, circled by a stepped loop of 1 mile (1.6 km).
-
Wupatki National Monument
Stone pueblos on the high desert north of Flagstaff, including the largest in northern Arizona, on a loop road with Sunset Crater.
-
Grand Canyon National Park
A mile-deep (1.6 km) canyon carved by the Colorado River, with rim viewpoints and inner-canyon trails.
-
Petrified Forest National Park
Fossil logs more than 200 million years old, the pastel badlands of the Painted Desert and Route 66 history in northeastern Arizona.
Straight-line distance between park centres. Road distance is usually longer.
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