In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
I'm Bill, I love paddling, please enjoy my site.
All the items below are very important to bring.
| TENT | Even if you're not planning on sleeping in a tent it is a good idea to bring one. Bad weather can develop very quickly and with a tent you have a shelter in a few minutes. | |
| STRING | A little bit of string is very very light and is always very useful to bring. | |
| FISH NET | A small fish net is a great thing to have in the bottom of your pack in case things don't go as planned and you run out of food. | |
| LIGHTWEIGHT STOVE | Don't get a propane stove whatever you do. If you smell the top of a campstove propane tank you will smell propane leaking out guaranteed, we have never come across a propane tank that doesn't smell. That smell is a poisonous and explosive gas leaking out slowly, and you're gonna put that in your canoe??? Of course not! Alcohol stoves are easy to use and the fuel is quite safe and not stored under pressure like propane. Normal alcohol stoves are very hard to find, stores only seem to carry ridiculous high tech contraptions with all kinds of knobs and nozzles, absolutely ridiculous! You can make one yourself pretty easily with some cans. A big disadvantage of alcohol stoves is that they need a lot of alcohol to run, if you get stuck you will run out of fuel rather fast.Wood stoves seem to be making a comeback after a century of fossil fuel dominance. Wood stoves have the great advantage of never running out of fuel. The Trailstove is my personal favorite, it weighs a little bit below a pound which is more than a lot of fossil fuel stoves but since you don't bring any fuel, the pack weight actually comes out lower than fossil fuel stoves. It cooks a bit slower than a propane stove but that's a quite acceptable compromise when you consider all the advantages. | |
| BLANKET | If you're just going for the day bring a small blanket with you, the kind they have on airplanes. | |
| MOSQUITO COILS | I tried one of those little things that run on a battery and emit a high frequency sound that mosquitoes can't stand, it didn't work so I'm back to mosquito coils. | |
| MULTI PURPOSE TOOL | One of the few things that really saves the day is your multi purpose tool. Swiss army knife or Leatherman tool doesn't matter so much, they both have advantages over the other. |
MAKE A SHELTER
Find two 4 foot sturdy branches with "Y" shapes at the ends.
Find an 8 foot sturdy branch.
Pu the branches together into a pyramid with the longer branch towards the wind, make sure that they're securely joined, tie something around the top if you need to.
Line the two long walls with ribs consisting of branches resting against the long branch.
Cover the two long ribbed walls with smaller branches.
If you want to and you have plenty of time you can prepare the ground under the shelter ahead of time by digging down a few inches and burning a fire on the ground for a few hours and then covering the coals with the dirt from the dig. This way the ground in your shelter will be warm and dry all night long.
Flagstaff, AZ
Here, past meets present. Pueblos and cliff dwellings are so well preserved that it's hard to believe their builders moved on 700 years ago. Amid lava and cinders, one can imagine a landscape still hot to the touch. Welcome to the Flagstaff Area National Monuments!
There is something for everyone: prehistoric cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon, the mountain scenery and geology of Sunset Crater Volcano, and the painted desert landscape and masonry pueblos of Wupatki National Monument.
Ancient Indians undoubtedly witnessed the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano in A.D.1064-1065 which blanketed the region with black cinder. Today the volcano's rim of red cinders and the lava flows near the cone seem to have cooled and hardened to a jagged surface only yesterday. Squeeze-ups and hornitos are just two of the fascinating volcanic features you'll encounter while exploring the park. To protect this fragile resource, Sunset Crater Volcano is closed to climbing and hiking. However, other cinder cones in the area may be climbed.
Sunset Crater Volcano is often confused with another nearby attraction, Meteor Crater. At Sunset Crater Volcano you will see a cinder cone rising 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape. Meteor Crater, located 35 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40, is an impact crater measuring over 500 feet deep and 1 mile across.
CONTACTS
Email - FLAG-Sunset Crater_@nps.gov
Fax- 928-526-4259
Write to
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Route 3
Box 149
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
Phone
Visitor Information - 928-526-0502
TRAVEL BASICS
Operating Hours,
Seasons
The park is open year round. The Visitor Center is open
daily except Christmas Day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with extended hours
possible during the summer season. REMINDER: ARIZONA IS ON MOUNTAIN
STANDARD TIME YEAR ROUND
Getting There
PLANE - Nearest airport is located in
Flagstaff, AZ.
CAR - From Flagstaff, take U.S 89 noeth for 12 miles (19km), turn right on the Sunset Crater - Wupatki Loop road and continue 2 miles (3km) to the visitor center.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - For additional information on transportation services contact the Flagstaff Visitor Center at 1-800-842-7293
Weather & Climate
Be prepared for abrupt weather changes
in any season. Expect windy conditions most of the year. Spring is usually
mild, but heavy snowfall can occur. Summer days are warm with temperatures
in the 80s. Afternoon thunderstorms are likely July to September. In
winter, snow and freezing temperatures alternate with mild weather.
Accessibility
Accessible restrroms are located at the Visitor
Center and the Lava Flow Nature Trail. The Visitor Center and portions of
the Lava Flow Nature Trail are also accessible.
Getting Around
Lava Flow Trail is a 1-mile (1.6km) loop trail
with a 1/4 mile (500m) cutoff. It is a self-guided trail exploring a
variety of volcanic formations.
Use extreme caution hiking on lava - it is sharp, brittle, and unstable.
The Lenox Crater Trail provides an opportunity to climb a cinder cone. This steep trail is 1-mile (1.6km) round trip and requires about 30 minutes up and 15 minutes down!
FEES/PERMITS
Entrance Fee
COMMERCIAL
VEHICLES
$Varies for One Time
Commercial tour fees are
charged according to vehicle capacity.
PER PERSON
$3.00
for One Time
Entrance fee good for both Sunset Crater Volcano
and Wupatki National Monument.
CAMPING
Bonito Campground
The
campground is located across from the Visitor Center and is generally open
from late May through mid-October. Maximum vehicle size is 35 feet, no
hook-ups. For futher information call the U.S. Forest Service at
520-526-0866.
FACILITIES
Visitor
Centers
SUNST CRATER VOLCANO VISITOR CENTER
Open All Year 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location - From Flagstaff, take U.S. 89 north
for 12 miles (19km), turn right on the Sunset Crater - Wupatki Loop Road
and continue 2 miles (3km) to the Visitor Center.
Closures -
Christmas Day Note: Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time year
round.
Special Programs - Avaiiable generally in June, July and
August. Programs subject to change, check at the Visitor Center for
program information. Lava Walk: Daily, 45 minutes. Check at Visitor Center
for times. Investigate cinder cones, squeeze-ups, and more! Meet at the
contact station at the Lava Flow Trail parking area. Evening Program:
1-hour campfire talk at Bonito Campground (during season campground is
open). Check at the Visitor Center for times and topics.
Exhibits -
Located in the Visitor Center
Available Facilities -
Bookstore, picnic tables, vending machines.
Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service