Tour: Craters of the Moon National Monument

On May 2, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge established Craters of the Moon by issuing a proclamation to protect the unusual lava terrain in southern Idaho. This lunar landscape was thought to resemble that of the Moon and was described as, “a weird and scenic landscape peculiar to itself.” To celebrate this anniversary, City Club of Boise is partmering with the Craters of the Moon National Monument to offer members an incredible opportunity for a two-day event at the Monument.

On Friday, May 31st, Craters of the Moon is hosting a "star party" in partnership with the Idaho Falls Astronomical Society  in the evening (specific start time to be announced soon).  The Astronomical Society will provide telescopes to view stars and planets in the night sky and members of the Society will be available to provide more information. (Craters of the Moon was designated as an International Dark Sky Park in 2017 and is a prime location in the country for stargazing. Here are links to websites with some info about the International Dark Sky Park designation.)

https://www.nps.gov/crmo/learn/nature/night-sky.htm

https://darksky.org/places/craters-of-the-moon-national-monument-dark-sky-park/

Saturday, June 1st at 1:00 p.m. at the Robert Limbert Visitor Center, a program on Craters of the Moon will be presented by Ted Stout, retired Chief of Interpretation and Education at Craters of the Moon. Ted is an Idaho Humanities Council Speaker. Ted is also the author of a book about Craters of the Moon.

 At 2:00 p.m., Ted will lead us on a guided walk of either Indian Tunnel Cave (if open, weather dependent) or to the top of Inferno Cone.

Indian Tunnel Cave info 

Inferno Cone info

Please note that this tour is limited to 25 people and is exclusively for City Club members!

City Club members who want to participate in the guided walk should prepare as if it will take place in Indian Tunnel cave in case it is Ted's first choice.  There are some specific regulations in place to prevent transmission of white nose syndrome to bats. They are pretty simple and easy to follow and are available here. 

For those interested in camping at the Monument, all camping is on a first-come, first-serve basis.  However, staff is still working to determine if they can “reserve” spots in the group campground for City Club members willing to volunteer to assist with the Friday star party (actually, very easy work), and if so, how many sites can be reserved, and what type of camping (i.e. tents, trailers, RVs) can be accommodated. This is contingent upon whether or not seasonal employees will need those spots for housing.  

Consequently, City Club members who don’t want to take a chance on securing a campsite might want to consider other lodging arrangements. For accommodations, here is a link to an Idaho Tourism web page that has information about private campgrounds and motels in the Arco area which is closest to the park https://visitidaho.org/places-to-stay/arco/  Craters of the Moon is about an hour drive from Bellevue and Hailey where there are also plenty of lodging options. This link will also help inform you of camping at the Monument: https://www.nps.gov/crmo/planyourvisit/camping.htm

When you register for the event, regardless if you decide to camp, please remember that all of the planned activities require that you bring all food, water, and other beverages you will need for their entire visit as there is no food available for purchase within Craters of the Moon.

In addition to the program, guided walk, and star parties, there are LOTS of other things for City Club members to do at Craters of the Moon – this web page has some suggested “itineraries” depending on how much time visitors want to spend:

https://www.nps.gov/crmo/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

and this web page has a lot of general info for visitors:

https://www.nps.gov/crmo/planyourvisit/index.htm"

Tour Registration: $25 City Club members

City Club thanks our Annual Sponsors University of Idaho, Boise State University School of Public Service, City of Boise, and the 2024 Forum Series sponsors: AARP of Idaho,  Idaho Education Association, SelectHealth, Small Mine Development, and St. Luke's. Our media partners are Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Public Television. The Osher Lifetime Learning Institute is our Community Partner. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council, the state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

If you have any questions, call 208-364-4614 and staff can assist you.