November 2017 – CREATE YOUR OWN KIND OF HOLIDAY

The site was formerly known as the Canyon Diablo Crater and fragments of the meteorite. The center of the crater is filled with 210–240 m (690–790 ft) of rubble lying above crater. bedrock. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_Crater

Scientists estimate that the meteoroid was traveling at the speed of 71000 km/h upon impact. Upon hitting the ground an explosive force thousand times greater than the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. This is thought to have blocked the sunlight.

The museum takes an hour or so to walk through unless you are reading every article with great concentration. We walked around mostly viewing the photos before walking to the main attraction. There is a Subway connected to the attraction otherwise located 70 miles in the middle of nowhere.

Hours: Open Daily 8am-5pm

Meteor Crater in Northern Arizona

Interstate 40, Winslow, AZ 86047

Did you know?
– Flagstaff is the 2nd highest located city in the US (with a population over 25,000)
– Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.
– Flagstaff is located in the world’s largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest.

We stayed a cozy cabin rental. There are couple of local cats who will come by for a quick pet. Breakfast is included and is the perfect place to stay for a rustic cabin feel.

6355 N. Highway 180, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Ski Lift Lodge

The lodge is located close to the birch forest. This is the location for family photos.

This is remote and we almost turned around when suddenly the birch trees appeared. I followed the instructions below.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/waterline-road-trail
Take US-89 about 12 miles north of city center. Turn left directly across from the turn to Sunset Crater. The left turn is on to a Forest Access Road (FR 420). Take this ½ mile to a T and turn right onto FR 522. This goes 4.6 miles on a very bumpy, some areas washboard grated, ascent. Road is narrow with areas to pull out every few 100 yards in case another car is coming the opposite direct. This was a little nerve wracking as you can’t see ahead very far. I wouldn’t do this again without AWD or 4WD. After 4.6 miles of painfully slow driving you come to a pretty clearing of yellow flowers and grass = Locket Meadow. Signs take you to day parking, which is free and located near an outhouse.

Be sure to take advantage of all that Flagstaff has to offer. The downtown is quaint and perfect for bringing out your festive holiday spirit.

Take a stroll with your hot tea or chocolate and enjoy the lights.

If you are looking for a holiday gift that is unique and one of kind then stop in the local shops. Check out local artists at: https://oldtownshops.net/

120 N Leroux St, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, United States

Round off your trip with a hike into Coconino National Forest lava cave. It is often crowded to be prepared to practice your patience. The further into the cave the crowd thins out. It is a warm hike so bring water.