Visiting Meteor Crater in Snowy Arizona
I lived in Flagstaff, Arizona for three years and whenever someone asked me where I go to school, if I responded Arizona, they always said “wow it’s so hot there.” Well, I have news. It snows in Northern Arizona. It snows a lot.
Those pictures of the Grand Canyon covered in white blankets of snow are pictures to die for. So, if you hate the heat like me (show of hands anyone?) Arizona can be an awesome place in the winter!
Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona
Although I didn’t get to see the Grand Canyon in snow, I did get to check out a super underrated science site. About 45 minutes east of Flagstaff, is Winslow, Arizona. Any Eagles fans out there? If you’ve ever wanted to “stand on the corner in Winslow, Arizona” you can do that here! Also, in this town is the Meteor Crater. This crater is actually a 50,000-year-old meteorite crater that is almost ¾ mile in diameter! There are daily tours and some great lookout points that show size comparisons with the crater (like this astronaut cut out below).
My whole family from Los Angeles came to visit us in Arizona for my graduation ceremony so we all bundled up and went to Meteor Crater. It was cold and windy but seeing the crater blanketed in snow was beautiful! And it was hilarious watching all us Southern California natives trying to adapt to actual cold.
Despite the cold, we learned some incredible things about Meteor Crater! The interactive discovery center has exhibits and a film where you can learn about the impact site. For example, when the meteor hit over 50,000 years ago, its impact had the energy of over 20 million tons of TNT!
And, if you ever seen the movie Starman with Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, that was filmed here!
We had so much fun exploring Meteor Crater and learning about the impact site. It was a great, quick excursion from Flagstaff!
Visiting Details:
Meteor Crater is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm (except Christmas).
Ticket prices: $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $9 for kids and non-active military, and free for active military.
Admission includes access to the discovery center, lookout points, an informational movie, and guided rim tour (45 minutes in duration).
Where to Stay
Winslow is an incredibly small town. There is some awesome camping at Homolovi State Park but personally, if you’re visiting in the winter I would stay in Flagstaff, Arizona, the nearest town. I went to college there and I think it’s the perfect weekend getaway town or home base for visiting all of northern Arizona’s hidden gems (like Meteor Crater).
More time in Northern Arizona? Check out these posts:
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I’d love to see a meteor crater like that, as a big picture view. I’ve only ever walked through one in Australia. Just imagining the impact that carved these craters gives me goosebumps 🙂
It’s definitely crazy thinking about the aftermath of its impact!
I’ve been here! My husband and I did a road trip out west a couple of years back and visited the meteor crater. I’d love to see the Grand Canyon in snowy weather, actually …
I’m so glad you saw the Meteor Crater! We had a couple opportunities to see the Grand Canyon in snow but the roads were always a little too scary for us.
What a cool thing to do 🙂
It’s good to be prepared!