Despite the name, Craters of the Moon is actually a national monument here on Earth. This was good news for us as it meant we could swing by it on our way home after the Magic Valley Beer Fest.
The national monument (I'm going to call it a park because that just makes more sense) is situated on Highway 26 between Twin Falls and Blackfoot. To be fair, this wasn't really on our way home, but it was worth the detour.
The actual park is a sprawling 410,000 acres of sagebrush, but the real reason for visiting can be distilled down into the three lava fields. Now, if you've lived around lava fields, or have even visited the popular ones in Hawaii or Iceland then you likely have a very distinct picture in your head – beautiful green landscapes, crashing ocean waves, powerful jets of lava.
Craters of the Moon is none of that. Picture the most ordinary landscape you can think of, specifically the open fields and gentle hills of Idaho or eastern Oregon – just boundless fields of grass and wind.
Situated a little off a couple of small highways, the park really feels out of place. There's almost a theme park feeling of intentionality to it, like pulling up to Disneyland in the middle of sprawling Los Angeles suburbs.
It's a difficult landscape to photograph with a phone. The dark volcanic soil obliterates shadows and any sense of depth – an optical illusion that tricked us into climbing one or two "small" lava mounds.
Now – as I've certainly mentioned many times before – my wife is a planner. This wasn't some last minute detour that we made on a whim, unprepared. No, we packed and prepared for this trip in a way that only the nerdiest of nerds would ever think to.
That's right, we trekked around the park with our nerd colors flying, and it's a good thing there weren't any volcanic eruptions nearby because I'm certain these itchy polyester uniforms were just looking for an excuse to go up in flames.
Feet sore, photos taken, it was time to get back on the road and home before we ran into any Gorn.
It's a stunning park that's absolutely worth a visit if you're ever in the area. Or, like us, if you just happen to be in Idaho and don't mind a few hundred extra miles added to your journey.