Meteor Crater
National Natural Landmark (Barringer Crater) — Privately Owned · Winslow, Arizona
A bowl-shaped crater nearly a mile across and more than 550 feet deep in the high desert east of Flagstaff, blasted out about 50,000 years ago by an iron-nickel meteorite. Also called Barringer Crater, after the mining engineer who argued that it was made by an impact, it is billed as the best-preserved meteorite crater on Earth and was used to train Apollo astronauts. It is privately owned and a National Natural Landmark. Visitors see it from viewing decks on the rim and on guided rim walks; walking down into the crater is not allowed. The site now operates as Meteor Crater and the Barringer Space Museum, and guided hikes around the entire rim run on set dates.
Interstate 40, Exit 233, Meteor Crater Road, Winslow, Arizona, 86047, United States
Open daily, generally 8 or 9 AM to 5 PM; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas (check meteorcrater.com).